The second warning system test in three days was conducted in Chechnya

Amid the increasing frequency of drone attacks, Chechen authorities organized at least two tests of emergency sirens within three days. Another test was previously scheduled for late December. 

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," four drone attacks have been recorded in Chechnya since the beginning of December. On December 2,  four drones were shot down over Chechen territory. Chechen opposition Telegram channels claim that drones struck military targets in Gudermes and Achkhoy-Martan that night, but official authorities denied this. On December 5, several floors of a tower in the Grozny City business center were damaged by an explosion, a fact acknowledged by Ramzan Kadyrov. On the night of December 7, the military shot down one drone in Chechnya. On December 9, Kadyrov reported that Chechen security forces had shot down two drones, and the Russian Ministry of Defense later reported another drone shot down in Chechnya. The following day, Kadyrov awarded the security officer who shot down the drone. 

Warning systems in Chechnya have been tested at least twice in the past three days, and in the first 11 days of December alone, a drone alert was declared in Chechnya at least eight times, according to a reader of the "Caucasian Knot" with the nickname marshall_cummings . 

"Each time, the restrictions resulted in mobile internet shutdowns and communication disruptions," the user wrote. He noted that on December 11, the standard RSChS drone threat alert no longer included the phrase about possible mobile internet disruptions, which had been present in previous days. Meanwhile, the internet remained disconnected, and no message was received from RSChS canceling the drone threat, despite official Chechen media reporting it. 

A reader of the "Caucasian Knot" with the nickname cristina.mitchell confirmed that "in the past 11 days of the month, only three days have passed without restrictions." "All these flight restrictions, the introduction of the drone threat, the disconnection of mobile internet and communication outages, have caused nothing but negativity among the residents of Chechnya. (...) Some were unable to fly or arrive in Grozny on time, others had their business cancelled due to the lack of mobile internet, taxi drivers' GPS devices didn't work, others had problems with banking, and so on. The situation, according to many, is changing, and for the worse. And yesterday, Kadyrov instructed the leadership of the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs to organize regular exercises to counter UAVs in Chechnya," she wrote on December 11. 

A test of the warning systems in Chechnya was conducted on December 9. The warning system is designed to convey the "Attention everyone!" signal to citizens in the event of a threat or emergency, authorities recalled. "During the test, electric sirens and loudspeakers were activated, and mandatory public television and radio channels were rebroadcast," according to a statement from the Vainakh State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. 

On the morning of December 11, the official news agency Chechnya Today reported that the inspection would be conducted again. "Why it was necessary to repeat it a day later is not entirely clear," noted marshall_cummings in a comment on the "Caucasian Knot." 

A video of the inspection on December 11 was published by the Instagram* page chp.checchnya, which has 421,000 followers. The video shows the courtyard of a five-story building, a siren sounding, and children running through it. In the comments to the post, some social media users reported hearing sirens in various locations. 

"You could hear it in Shali," reported _6790749 . "You could hear it in Chechen-Aul," claimed hav_ani95 . "You could hear it in Geldagan," reported umrv31 . "Here in Znamensk, you couldn't hear it at all, just a little. It wasn't a voice speaking, but an alarm," noted mmz_186 . 

Several users noted that the regular test sirens evoke unsettling memories. "Like 1994," noted zarinaellaevva . "They've been sounding the warning system three times in a row in just a few days. May Allah grant that all goes well," wrote elya_tenkova . 

No information about a third warning system test since the beginning of December could be found in official Chechen publications, but at least one more such test is expected before the end of the month. On November 13, the Chechen Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that "additional comprehensive readiness tests of warning systems in Chechnya will take place on December 22," as reported by the Chechnya Today news agency.