Ukrainian drone hits business center in southern Russia – media (VIDEO)
A Ukrainian drone has crashed into a business center in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, local media have reported. Footage has been shared showing the aftermath of the apparent strike, which sparked a fire.
On Friday morning, numerous Russian media outlets published footage of the 145-meter-high building in the city’s downtown, showing smashed windows and flames in one section of the building. The impact appeared to hit somewhere in the middle floors.
Local authorities have yet to comment on the apparent attack, and there has been no information on potential casualties. An RT Russian source in law enforcement, however, confirmed that the attack had been carried out by a Ukrainian drone.
Earlier in the day, Russian air traffic authorities introduced temporary restrictions at Grozny Airport.
According to publicly available data, the facility hosts several organizations, including the reception office of the ruling United Russia party, the Auditing Chamber, and a number of state institutions and private businesses. The complex is less than 1km from the official residence of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the republic.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 41 Ukrainian drones overnight across the country.
Ukrainian forces have routinely launched UAV attacks deep into Russia, often targeting critical infrastructure and civilian buildings. Moscow has denounced the raids as “terrorist attacks.”
