Pro-government public groups warned of fines following the drone attack on Grozny

On the day of the drone attack on a Grozny City skyscraper, public groups affiliated with the Chechen authorities issued a warning about penalties for violating the ban on photographing and filming the aftermath of drone attacks. Tens of thousands of users have seen the warning to date.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," on the morning of December 5, sources reported that several floors of one of the towers in the Grozny City business center  were damaged by an explosion. Published video shows a fire breaking out on one of the floors, approximately halfway up the building, and the cladding was damaged on at least seven floors. Ramzan Kadyrov publicly acknowledged that the Grozny City high-rise complex was damaged by a Ukrainian drone, assuring that "no one was injured" in the attack. 

The same text about responsibility for photographing and filming drone strike sites was posted by several pro-government Chechen Telegram groups after the drone strike in Grozny. "We remind you that in the Chechen Republic, in accordance with the decree of the President of Russia, a ban has been imposed on the publication of information about terrorist attacks, drone strikes, the deployment of Defense Ministry forces, and critical infrastructure," reads the post, which, as of 8:00 PM Moscow time on December 8, had garnered 23,600 views in the "ChP Chechnya" group, which has 128,400 readers. On the "ChP Grozny 95" Telegram group, with an audience of 151,000 users, the text had garnered 30,500 views.

The statement does not specify the specific penalties for publishing photos and videos from the attack sites. It is worth noting that, unlike other regions, the Chechen authorities have not issued decrees or regulations prohibiting such actions. The websites of the president and government of Chechnya, as well as the official website of the regional parliament, do not contain any documents on this matter as of 8:00 PM Moscow time on December 8. 

It's worth noting that the FSB's Chechen branch previously issued a warning regarding "safety rules during a drone attack." "If you took photographs or videos, pass them on to the arriving law enforcement officers, but under no circumstances disseminate them on social media or messaging apps. The enemy may use this data for strike adjustments and reconnaissance. Sharing this information with anyone other than law enforcement officers will result in liability," stated the message, published on August 21 on the Grozny State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company website. 

As a reminder, in September, North Ossetian authorities banned the publication of photographs and videos of drone attacks, air defense operations, and the aftermath of attacks. Violations carry fines of 3,000 to 5,000 rubles for individuals, 30,000 to 50,000 rubles for officials, and 100,000 to 200,000 rubles for legal entities. Repeat violations will result in larger fines. 

Similar regulations are already in effect in other regions of southern Russia – in the Astrakhan, Volgograd, and Rostov regions, Adygea, and Kalmykia.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that lawyers indicated that bans on filming drone attacks and their consequences contradict the norms enshrined in the Constitution, which guarantee the inadmissibility of censorship and the freedom to search for, record, and disseminate information.