2004 Grozny stadium bombing

On 9 May 2004, an explosion tore through the VIP section of Dynamo Stadium in Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, during a parade and concert marking the 59th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The bomb had been planted underneath the concrete floor of the podium reserved for dignitaries and was detonated by remote control at approximately 10:35 a.m., during a cultural presentation that followed the parade.

The blast killed at least ten people, including Chechen Republic President Akhmad Kadyrov, State Council Chairman Khussein Isayev, and Reuters reporter Adlan Khasanov. Colonel General Valery Baranov, the de facto commander of Russian forces in the northern Caucasus, lost a leg in the attack. Estimates of the total number of casualties varied, but around 100 people were wounded, including civilians and war veterans who had gathered for the holiday events. Emergency services subsequently defused a landmine and an additional explosive device found at the scene, preventing further blasts. On 12 May, another explosive device was discovered in the stadium.

Investigators determined that the bomb had likely been planted during recent renovations to the stadium and noted that the type of explosive used was identical to one deployed two years earlier in a similar attack on a parade in the Dagestani city of Kaspiysk. Initial investigations focused on the stadium's security staff and the construction workers who had taken part in the renovation work. Investigators later provided the State Duma with a more specific list of suspects under investigation, and a man was later arrested who cooperated with investigators by providing information.

Rebel leader Shamil Basayev claimed involvement in organizing the bombing. The attack has been characterized as an attempt to sow panic and disorder among the pro-Russian Chechen leadership. Following Kadyrov's death, Russian-appointed Prime Minister Sergey Abramov served as acting president until new elections were held, as required by the republic's constitution, before September of that year.

The anniversary of the bombing has since become intertwined with Victory Day commemorations in Chechnya. Each 9 May, the republic's leadership visits Kadyrov's grave in Tsentoroy to pray before a Victory Day parade held on a square named in his honor.