A gas facility explosion rocked Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, as reported by independent news outlet Astra. The region, under the control of pro-Kremlin leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been a hotspot since the wars of the 1990s and 2000s involving separatists and extremists.
Ukrainian media, including RBC-Ukraine, shared that the explosion occurred near a college, injuring at least four individuals, including a mother and her child. The exact cause of the blast remains unknown, and no official casualty report has been released yet.
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Recently, tensions have escalated in Chechnya, with Kadyrov threatening to initiate a “blood feud” against Dagestani and Ingush lawmakers he accuses of plotting to assassinate him. He has demanded that specific government officials prove their innocence to avoid conflict.
This week, violence continued in the region, with reports of two security guards being shot dead in Moscow due to a dispute linked to Kadyrov’s network. Kadyrov dismissed accusations of his involvement, labeling them as divisive provocations.
In related news, three individuals were killed in neighboring Ingushetia when armed assailants targeted a local security official’s vehicle, highlighting ongoing unrest in the Caucasus due to crime and extremism.
Additionally, pro-Kremlin military bloggers reported that a Ukrainian fighter shot down a Russian Su-34 aircraft, although verification of this claim is still pending. Meanwhile, as the conflict continues, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief noted the transfer of 50,000 Russian soldiers to the Kursk area to bolster defenses amid ongoing counter-offensives.
Ukrainian forces had previously captured several strategic locations in the Kursk province before Russian reinforcements stabilized the front.