A drone strike that damaged the Russian Special Forces University of Vladimir Putin in the Chechen city of Gudermes on Oct. 29 may have been launched from Russia's neighboring North Caucasus republics, an intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
The drone attack hit Chechnya early in the morning, marking the first such instance during the war. Footage shared on social media showed significant damage and a fire at the university building, but no casualties were reported.
The source's statement would indicate that the attack was not one of Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russian territory but a result of a local feud.
One of the most likely versions explaining the attack links it to the deadly shooting in the Moscow office of the retailer Wildberries in September and a conflict between Kadyrov and lawmakers from the neighboring Caucasus republics, the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The Chechen strongman accused Bekhan Barakhoyev, Suleiman Kerimov, and Rizvan Kurbanov from Dagestan and Ingushetia of plotting to kill him and warned he would call for a "blood feud" if they did not prove their innocence.
The accusation was related to the Wildberries shooting, which broke out when Vladislav Bakalchuk, the estranged husband of the company's founder, tried to "illegally" enter the building with his security guards.
Several of those involved come from the North Caucasus, including two killed security guards from Ingushetia. Kadyrov has previously said that he supports Vladislav Bakalchuk's effort to stop the planned merger of Wildberries with another company.
Kadyrov did make no specific accusations when reporting on the drone strike in the morning, adding that an investigation is underway.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
