Were Dagestanis Behind Drone Strike on Chechnya’s Special Forces University?

Unknown drones attacked the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, around 6:30 a.m. of Tuesday, Oct. 29. The incident was reported by the Kremlin's envoy in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. The attack, which was the first recorded drone attack on Chechen territory, resulted in a minor fire.

“As a result of the drone strike, the roof of an empty building on the grounds of the Russian Special Forces University caught fire. There were no casualties or injuries. The fire has been extinguished,” Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel.

Well-informed sources in Ukraine’s special services, speaking anonymously to Kyiv Post, confirmed the drone attack. However, they suggested that it was likely carried out by Dagestanis targeting Putin's Russian Special Forces University, adding that this could be “a continuation of a previous confrontation with Kadyrov's forces.”

Under Ramzan Kadyrov's leadership, Chechnya holds a special relationship with Putin’s Kremlin, giving the republic significant influence in the North Caucasus. Kadyrov’s growing influence often causes discontent in neighboring Dagestan, where local authorities strive to maintain their own positions.

Kadyrov has repeatedly expressed his desire to expand his influence over other republics, particularly Dagestan, exacerbating ethnic and political tensions in the region.

Additionally, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, confirmed the attack on Kadyrov’s Special Forces University in Chechnya.

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The Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, is a large complex consisting of 95 buildings and facilities. The university offers a wide range of training programs, including firearms training, tactical and special operations, airborne and mountain operations, as well as courses for security personnel and military journalists.

According to Russian media reports, since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 19,000 volunteers have reportedly been trained at the university’s facilities.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported shooting down seven Ukrainian drones overnight in the Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions, as well as over the Black Sea. However, the ministry’s briefing did not mention the attack on the Chechen facility.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Oct 29, Russian forces carried out coordinated attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, employing both drones and missiles.

In Kyiv, dozens of Shahed-type drones were launched, according to the head of the city’s military administration, Serhii Popko.

Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted the drones; however, debris fell in the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts. In Solomianskyi, falling wreckage damaged a gas pipeline connected to a nine-story residential building, sparking fires that engulfed a store and three cars.