Chechnya is among the Russian regions introducing a drone-piloting standard under the GTO physical fitness programme as part of the federal project Na Vysote! (“At Altitude!”). According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the initiative aims to “popularise” drone piloting among young people and train specialists for the unmanned aircraft industry. Russian officials have also openly acknowledged that the skills acquired could be used in the war against Ukraine.
According to the Memorial Human Rights Center, the death toll in the war with Ukraine per thousand residents in the North Caucasus republics is significantly lower than the national average. The exception is North Ossetia, where the rate is higher than the national average.
Comparing its data with population size, Memorial found that the average death rate in Russia was 1.35 people per thousand residents. Meanwhile, in Dagestan, this rate was 0.62, in Chechnya, 0.3, and in Ingushetia, 0.42. In North Ossetia, 1.8 people per thousand residents died, which is a third higher than the Russian average.
For comparison, this rate is 5.24 people per thousand in Tyva, 5 in Chukotka, and 4.36 in Buryatia. The researchers note the possible incompleteness of the data, but after consulting with journalists who compiled the lists of the dead, they ruled out the possibility of underreporting the statistics for the North Caucasus.