The Ukrainian military attacked the Chechen capital on Sunday, with locals reporting three drone attacks on military and police bases.
Two of the devices were shot down, and a third hit the Akhmat-Grozneomon base, which reportedly houses troops from the Chechen leader’s private army.
Video released by the Russian Telegram channel showed a long-range aircraft-like missile flying towards a building in Grozny, accompanied by gunfire in the background, followed by a massive explosion.
Posts on the Chechen Telegram channel reported that the attacks targeted key installations, including riot police bases, the Second Regiment of the Chechen Interior Ministry’s patrol and security department, and military bases linked to the Russian war.
Self-styled Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov said there were no reports of casualties and he would carry out “more precise and severe retaliatory strikes”.
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim republic in the Russian Federation. Kadyrov has been a staunch supporter of the war in Moscow and has sent troops to Ukraine, about 1,000 kilometers away, to fight alongside Russian troops.
Video footage appears to show a drone flying into a building before exploding
Russian military analyst Yan Matveyev wrote on social media that the drone was likely an A-22, a modified light aircraft that Kiev has reportedly used Russia conducts long-range unmanned attacks.
Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journal’s chief diplomatic correspondent, said on X that the drone “traveled at least 500 miles.”
This is Ukraine’s third attack in the region this month. Earlier this week, a drone was shot down over a police barracks and four guards were slightly injured by falling debris. Last week, a drone reportedly hit the roof of a police facility.
In October, the roof of a military training center in the Chechen city of Gudermes was set on fire in what appeared to be Ukraine’s first drone attack on Chechnya since the war broke out in February 2022.
Referring to Sunday’s attack, Kadyrov said on Telegram: “The next time you think about attacking the Chechen Republic with drones, remember that we will launch selective attacks where Ukrainian armed forces personnel are concentrated. Sexual assault. And the consequences of such an assault would be many times more horrific.
