Angelina Kazakova and Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters), – Russian authorities announced Wednesday that they fired five top prison officers and launched a series of criminal investigations into alleged sexual and torture assaults in a Saratov jail.

After Gulagu.net published graphic footage of sadistic orchestration at the prison located approximately 700km (450 miles) southwest of Moscow, authorities took action.

The prison said that it received massive leaked documents, photos, and videos showing hundreds of inmates were tortured and raped under the direction of prison officers.

Gulagu.net founder Vladimir Osechkin told Reuters that abuses took place in different areas of Russia. Osechkin stated that a system of torture was and remains operational.

“… The authorities are reluctant to speak the truth. It is terrible that the special services they use have been torturing the masses.

The Kremlin was alerted to the troubling nature and systemic nature of the video, and on Tuesday it said that there were good grounds for serious investigations if the footage is genuine.

Russian prison conditions had already been brought to the forefront by Alexei Navalny (a jailed Kremlin critic) who raised them earlier in this year. Former inmates as well as a former prisons inspector spoke out about frequent beatings by guards, assaults on sexuality, and neglectful treatment.

Russia’s Investigative Committee which investigates major crimes said Wednesday that it has opened several inquiries into abuse of authority and sexual violence.

Federal Penitentiary Service, (FSIN), said that it fired five top prison officers including the director at the prison where the abuse occurred and the chief of regional prison services.

Russian law states that inmates should not be treated harshly or in any way that degrades their dignity. A prison officer who abuses his authority can face a 10-year sentence.