A suspected Ukrainian drone strike damaged a high-rise building in the Chechen capital of Grozny early Friday, in what would be one of the closest attacks yet to the residence of regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, according to media reports.
Videos posted on Telegram news channels showed shattered windows and charred sections across several floors of the 28-story Business Center Grozny-City tower.
The building is part of Grozny City, a cluster of skyscrapers built as a symbol of the republic of Chechnya’s postwar redevelopment, and houses several regional government agencies, including the Chechen Security Council and offices linked to tourism and religious affairs.
The tower lies around 830 meters (2,700 feet) from Kadyrov’s residence in central Grozny, according to the investigative outlet Agentstvo.
Civil aviation authorities imposed temporary flight restrictions at airports in Grozny and several cities across neighboring regions early Friday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not list Chechnya among the regions where it said air defenses had downed Ukrainian drones overnight. Chechen authorities have not commented on the reported drone strike.
The Moscow Times could not confirm the authenticity of the videos or whether a drone was responsible for the damage.
If confirmed, the strike would be the third reported drone attack in Chechnya this week, following a Nov. 27 strike on a military compound in Grozny and another on an FSB building on Tuesday.
Beyond Chechnya, Ukrainian drone attacks were reported across several Russian regions overnight.
In the southern Krasnodar region, a fire broke out at the Temryuk seaport, a major export hub for liquefied petroleum gas and oil products. In the Samara region, residents of the city of Syzran reported explosions at a Rosneft oil refinery.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 41 drones over five regions, as well as annexed Crimea.
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