Ukraine has carried out a drone attack on a high-rise apartment block in Chechnya, apparently targeting a shadowy spy headquarters. The strike on the Grozny city centre skyscraper triggered a major explosion, tearing apart several floors. The building is adjacent to the Chechnyan FSB HQ, the local branch of Russia's security service, which may have been the intended target. It could also have been an attempt to hit the nearby residence of regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Videos posted on Telegram showed shattered windows and charred sections across several floors of the 28-storey Business Center Grozny-City tower, located 2,700 feet from Kadyrov's residence. Civil aviation authorities imposed temporary flight restrictions at airports in Grozny and several other cities early Friday. Ukrainian drones also attacked Gudermes, another Chechen town, targeting a site used by the Akhmat Regiment, a unit of Russia's National Guard composed largely of Chechen fighters commanded by Kadyrov.
The attack comes as Russian drones struck a house in central Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing a 12-year-old boy and injuring two women, according to regional military administration head Vladyslav Haivanenko. Meanwhile, long-range Ukrainian strikes hit a Russian port and an oil refinery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of delaying peace talks. Zelensky said his country's delegation in Miami wanted to hear from the US side about talks at the Kremlin, though there was no official confirmation of a meeting. Previous diplomatic attempts have failed to break the deadlock in the nearly four-year war.
Putin is in India for the 23rd Russia-India Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. The visit could strain India's relations with the European Union and the United States, as Washington pushes for a Ukraine peace deal. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov criticised Europe's stance, saying its demands are unacceptable to Moscow and do not help Washington and Moscow reach a settlement.
