Guard and inmate killed aboard Russian prisoner train; accounts of alleged riot conflict

A prisoner being transported aboard a train traveling from Vladikavkaz to Adler attacked his guards, according to law enforcement sources cited by RBC, Interfax, and TASS. The sources said the inmate grabbed a weapon from a guard while being escorted to the bathroom and opened fire on officers of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).

One officer died on the way to the hospital as a result of the shooting, while three other guards were wounded. The sources said guards returned fire and killed the prisoner.

Conflicting initial reports

Before this version of events emerged, REN TV and the Telegram channel 112 had reported that a riot broke out among prisoners on the train. Citing their own sources, both outlets claimed that prisoners killed one guard and took three wounded guards hostage.

An FSIN source later told TASS that the riot reports were not accurate.

According to the outlet Mash, 15 prisoners were being held in the railcar at the time of the incident.

The original report was updated after new information became available, though full details reconciling the differing accounts have not been publicly provided.