A skyscraper in the Grozny-City complex, which includes several residential buildings and houses Chechnya’s Security Council, has come under what were presumably Ukrainian drone strikes.
The attacks took place on Friday morning, seriously damaging at least five floors in one high-rise and causing a fire. There is no information about casualties or fatalities. The Grozny mayor’s office and Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, had not commented on the strikes at the time of publication.
However, the attack did take place early in the morning, and it is likely that there were very few people inside the building during the strike.
After the attack on Grozny-City, at least four more explosions occurred in the republic’s capital, according to RFE/RL. These reports have also been corroborated by the Chechen opposition movement NIYSO.
The damaged building houses residential flats, hotels, restaurants, commercial areas, offices of the Chechen Security Council, the office of the human rights commissioner, the Audit Chamber, and the Electoral commission. The Security Council is headed by Adam Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov’s son.
The building also houses the offices of the Finance Ministry, Tourism Ministry, Department for Relations with Religious and Public Organisations, a local office for the United Russia party, and the design studio of Kadyrov’s ‘personal architect’.
According to NIYSO, another drone later exploded on the territory of the Grozny Fortress’ racetrack. No reports of casualties have emerged as a result of this attack.
NIYSO also claimed that classes in local schools were cancelled. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), in the morning the airports of Grozny and nearby cities — Vladikavkaz and Magas — suspended operations.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, a total of 85 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed from Thursday evening to Friday morning, but the ministry did not report on strikes in Chechnya.
The republic’s authorities have not commented on the attack. As of publication, Chechen state news agencies were publishing reports about national projects in Chechnya, as well as a story about an accident in which a barbell fell on a man from Brazil in a gym. In addition, pro-government Telegram channels write about the inadmissibility of publishing photos and videos of the aftermath of attacks and remind readers that this carries administrative and criminal liability.
Recently, drone attacks on the North Caucasus have become more frequent, with most of them targeting security forces’ facilities.
The last recorded drone strike in Chechnya took place earlier this week on Tuesday night. According to reports from various sources, a police department building in Sernovodsk, the location of the Akhmat regiment in Gudermes, and a Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Achkhoy-Martan were damaged. According to Russian independent media outlet ASTRA, two officers were injured in Achkhoy-Martan. The authorities have not confirmed these reports either.
On 27 November this year, several military drones attacked a military garrison in the Baysangurov district of Grozny and a military unit in the village of Borzoy in the Shatoy district. Eyewitnesses posted videos and photos of the aftermath on social media, though no officials have commented on the strikes.
In recent days, drones have attacked not only Chechnya but also Daghestan. On 1 December, a residential high-rise in Kaspiysk was damaged. A 12-year-old girl was injured but discharged home after a medical examination. However, on 3 December a resident of Kaspiysk, who did not give his name, recorded a video apologising for publishing footage of the aftermath. He noted that he is raising six children and said he was lucky to receive only a fine.
Previously, there was a wave of drone attacks on Chechnya and other regions of the North Caucasus last autumn.
Elizaveta Chukharova
