Chechen leader claims missile strike on Kharkiv was retaliation for attacks on Chechnya, Ukrainian authorities report hit on ground

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that Russian forces attacked the city of Kharkiv with a missile in retaliation for drone strikes on Grozny, which were reported on the morning of 15 December. Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration (OMA) has reported that the missile hit the ground. [The Chechen Republic, also known as Chechnya, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation; the Ukrainian parliament has recognised it as the temporarily Russian-occupied territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria – ed.]

Source: Kadyrov on Telegram; Kharkiv OMA

Details: On the morning of 15 December, Ukrainian forces detected a high-speed target heading towards Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv OMA initially reported a strike in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv but later clarified that the missile had hit the ground, shattering windows in a nearby residential building.

A woman, 48, was injured in the strike.

Meanwhile, Kadyrov claimed that three drones had targeted Grozny. According to him, two were shot down, while the third "fell on the territory" of a base housing the Special Purpose Mobile Unit (OMON) riot police. He claimed that no injuries were reported.

The Chechen leader added that he had information about areas of Ukrainian troop concentration but claimed he would only order strikes in response to further drone attacks.

Quote from Kadyrov: "We'll resort to more precise and harsh retaliatory strikes against any attempt to attack our targets. Today, I passed on the intelligence gathered by our officers regarding the location of a large number of Ukrainian fascists. At 12:00, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched two Iskander missile strikes on a facility in Kharkiv where the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of Ukraine's Armed Forces was stationed. About 200 Ukrainian fascists were killed.

I'd like to remind the representatives of the Ukrainian Reich: the next time you consider launching drones on the Chechen Republic, remember that we will conduct targeted strikes on clusters of Ukrainian military personnel. The consequences of these strikes will be far worse, and we have ample data to act on."

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