Kadyrov Calls Russian Strikes “Response” to Grozny City Complex; MoD Makes No Direct Mention

The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported a large-scale strike on military and industrial facilities in Ukraine. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, in turn, described the attack as a response to the recent damage to the Grozny City business complex, Orda.kz reports, citing The Caucasian Knot.

Overnight on December 2, four drones were shot down over Chechnya, the only region in the North Caucasus where drone activity was recorded that night. On December 5, sources reported that several floors of one of the Grozny City towers had been damaged by an explosion.

Footage showed flames on a mid-level floor and exterior cladding torn away across at least seven stories.

Kadyrov publicly confirmed that a Ukrainian drone struck the high-rise, saying no one was injured. Chechen authorities, however, have not commented on separate reports that drones also hit security facilities in Gudermes and Achkhoy-Martan.

Kadyrov said that the strike on Grozny City “did not go unanswered,” stating that Russian forces carried out “targeted, massive” attacks on major military-industrial and energy infrastructure across Ukraine. He added that “this is far from the end.”

Late on December 5, he also wrote that “starting tomorrow and throughout the week,” a “tough response” would follow, promising strikes on Ukrainian military sites.

Meanwhile, on December 7, the Russian Ministry of Defense said it launched a large-scale strike with long-range, high-precision weapons — including air- and ground-launched systems, hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, and long-range drones — in retaliation for “Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets on Russian territory.”

The ministry did not mention Grozny.

According to the ministry, the targets were Ukrainian defense industry facilities, energy infrastructure supporting them, and port facilities used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“All assigned targets were hit,” the statement said.

Against that backdrop, on December 7, Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down 77 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions — 12 in the Rostov region, 9 in Volgograd, 1 in Astrakhan, and 1 in Chechnya, with the rest downed over Saratov, Belgorod, and Crimea.

The drone incident in Chechnya marks the third one in six days, excluding December 8.