Ukrainian drones hit Chechnya: Escalation of "Battle for Wildberries" on Kadyrov's turf

The Defense Express writes about it. 

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed that the so-called "Russian Special Forces University" in Gudermes was hit by a drone around 6:30 a.m. local time. The strike caused a fire in what was supposedly an empty building, which was quickly contained, resulting in no casualties.

It’s worth noting that this “university” is Kadyrov’s pet project, so an attack on it carries symbolic weight beyond just hitting a Russian military training center, the publication notes. 

While initial theories pointed to a Ukrainian long-range drone as the likely culprit, it's not the only possibility. Ukrainian drones do have the range to reach Chechnya, about 850 km from the frontline, with some models capable of striking targets up to 1,500 km away.

But, according to the article, targeting a training center seems a bit off from a strategic standpoint. There are, after all, more significant targets in and around Chechnya, like the airbase near Mozdok in North Ossetia — where Ukrainian Lyuty drones have been spotted — or the vast 68th GRAU arsenal nearby.

This brings us to another plausible theory: the attack might actually be the latest episode in the "Battle for Wildberries." Wildberries is a major Russian online marketplace, and internal conflicts erupted over it earlier this year amid a high-profile divorce among its owners. Kadyrov’s forces tried to muscle in on the business, clashing with Dagestani criminal groups under oligarch and governor Suleiman Kerimov. This rivalry even led to a shootout in Moscow on September 18, prompting Kadyrov to publicly threaten blood vengeance against Kerimov.

Given this context, it’s quite possible that the attack on Gudermes was an extension of this ongoing feud. The strike might not have been from a Ukrainian long-range drone, but rather a simple FPV drone launched by Dagestani groups. After all, just days earlier, on October 24, unknown assailants ambushed a Rosgvardiya truck near Grozny, killing one soldier, the article concludes.