A drone strike targeted the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, marking the first incident of its kind in the region since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed that the attack took place around 6:30 a.m. local time, igniting a fire on the roof of an unoccupied building on campus. There were no injuries and the fire was quickly put out, allowing the university to continue operations as usual.
Images shared online showed smoke and flames on the university’s roof. The origin of the drone remains unclear, though Kadyrov announced that investigative authorities were looking into the incident. While Kadyrov did not directly blame Ukraine, he hinted at possible Ukrainian involvement, later instructing Chechen commanders in Ukraine to intensify operations and take “no prisoners” in response.
⚡️ Drones attacked Chechnya’s “Putin University”—the first reported drone strike in the republic.
Founded in 2013 under Kadyrov, this Russian special forces university, named after Putin, trains combatants for Ukraine and produces FPV drones. Kadyrov reported a roof fire but no… pic.twitter.com/DpgPLcdvna
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) October 29, 2024
The Russian Special Forces University, built in 2016, is Russia’s only private institution dedicated to training special forces personnel and has reportedly trained thousands of troops deployed in Ukraine. Since 2022, it has expanded to include combat drone production and training for front-line combat tactics.
This is what the Russian special forces university named after Putin in Gudermes, Chechnya, looks like after a drone attack
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that the perpetrators will be shown “such retribution that they never dreamed of.” pic.twitter.com/DQP20jur7l
— Charlie (@Acuteremod) October 29, 2024
This attack follows recent security incidents in Chechnya, including a reported October 24 assault on Russian National Guard members near Grozny, raising concerns about escalating security risks in the region.
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