In Chechnya, local residents concerned over soldiers' actions

Soldiers entered the Nadterechny District of Chechnya, set up camps near several villages, and arranged checkpoints, local residents reported. The Southern Federal District (SFD) claims that no additional forces were introduced into the republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 21, in Chechnya, 303 cases of the coronavirus infections and 5 deaths were confirmed. On April 5, the strict quarantine measures have been imposed, and entry into the region is limited.

"Large columns of military trucks with soldiers drove from the direction of Ossetia. They stopped on the outskirts of the village, began to put up tents, dig trenches, and arranged posts," said Musa, a resident of the village of Bratskoye (Lomaz-Yurt).

"I saw something like that only before the start of the war and during the war," noted Khizir, a resident of the Znamenskoye village.

The spokesperson for the Southern Military District has not confirmed that any additional forces were brought to Chechnya, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

In his turn, Alexander Sherin, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma's Committee on Defence, called the appearance of the federal troops in Chechnya logical and referred to the "tense situation" in the region, the NSN reports.