CHECHNYA WATCH · 19 October 2026
Decades after the Chechen wars, unexploded ordnance continues to pose a threat to the population and the use of agricultural land.
Russian emergency services have reported clearing more than 57 hectares of agricultural land and neutralising over 80 explosive devices in Chechnya between 1 September and 17 October 2026.
According to regional authorities, the operation was conducted in the Achkhoy-Martan district, where a specialised unit of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has been working to make farmland safe for cultivation.
On 17 October, Russian Emergencies Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov visited the area, inspected the clearance operations and presented awards to members of the bomb-disposal team. Ramzan Kadyrov subsequently thanked the ministry for its work.
The operation also highlights a lasting consequence of the two Chechen wars.
More than three decades after the beginning of the first conflict, explosive remnants of war continue to represent a concern in parts of the republic. Previous reporting by Caucasian Knot has also documented how unexploded munitions have complicated the use of Chechnya’s forests.
The authorities have not established publicly when each device recovered in the latest operation was deposited.
For Chechnya, the removal of unexploded ordnance is therefore more than a technical undertaking: it is part of the long process of recovering land and restoring safe conditions for civilian life.
