Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has issued new threats against Ukraine in the aftermath of a drone strike near his residence in Grozny—warnings that echo an alleged 2022 plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a former Ukrainian government official.
The strike, reported by Reuters, hit the Grozny-City complex on Nov. 5, damaging a 28-story high-rise located roughly 830 meters from Kadyrov’s home.
Although Kadyrov confirmed the attack in a Telegram post and said no casualties were reported, he denounced the strike as senseless and vowed retaliation.
“Starting tomorrow and in the course of the week, the Ukrainian fascists will be feeling a stern response,” he warned, insisting that unlike Ukraine, “we will not be making a cowardly strike on peaceful targets.”
A former Ukrainian official, speaking to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity, said Kadyrov’s rhetoric signals a revival of threats reminiscent of the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, when Chechen operatives were allegedly tasked with infiltrating Kyiv to kill Zelenskyy and senior government figures.
“This new threat would just be another assassination threat for Zelenskyy,” the former official said. “The Chechens are really serious about revenge. But in Kyiv they are not panicking about this like they were in 2022. Zelenskyy is now better protected, feels more powerful, and is less fragile.”
According to the former official, Kyiv’s leadership was deeply alarmed in February 2022 when intelligence indicated that Chechen units were advancing toward the capital with orders to target top political and security officials.
Zelenskyy and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, were reportedly concerned that Chechen fighters might penetrate the presidential bunker through one of Kyiv’s deep underground metro stations—a potential vulnerability that security services rushed to reinforce.
“They tried to reach Kyiv via the river or through other routes, but they were killed before they got close,” the former official said.
Ukrainian forces have previously struck sites inside Chechnya, including police and training facilities.
The latest strike, which hit a building housing the Chechen Security Council and regional government offices, highlights Ukraine’s expanding capacity to reach targets deep inside Russian territory.
Kadyrov—one of Vladimir Putin’s most aggressive loyalists—is signaling a harsher posture as the war increasingly spills into Russia’s internal regions. Yet Kyiv appears unfazed.
“These days, Zelenskyy isn’t afraid of Kadyrov’s actions against him or the Ukrainian people,” the former official said. “Zelenskyy is feeling very powerful right now.”
