An improvised explosive device detonated at a restaurant in central Moscow, killing at least three people, including the bomber, Russian state media said, citing local officials.
The explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square on Saturday evening in Moscow killed at least three and injured at least 21 people, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said, quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.Several Russian media Telegram channels report this Sunday morning that the death toll could be five, with six injured in serious condition at the hospital.The National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that a woman attempted to bring a homemade explosive device into a restaurant, but it detonated outside during an inspection. The woman, a security guard, and a guest were killed. The Investigative Committee has not yet announced the opening of a criminal case for the terrorist attack.The target of the attack may have been Alexander Chaiko, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, some independent media reported. He turned 55 on Monday, July 27, and a private party may have been held on the restaurant premises. This information has not yet been confirmed.
Paramedics gather near a deadly explosion at a restaurant in Moscow. Credit: AP / Moscow News Agency
Writing on social media, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the attack on a restaurant in the capital a “brutal terrorist act,” but did not say who was responsible.
“Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives. The victims are currently in the city’s hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care,” Sobyanin wrote on social media Sunday.
The attack was still being investigated, the Moscow Investigative Committee told the news agency on Saturday evening. As of early afternoon on Sunday, there was no further information from Russian authorities, and no one had publicly claimed responsibility.
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This is the fifth assassination attempt on a high-ranking Russian general since the start of the so-called special military operation.On December 17, 2024, Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed by the detonation of an explosive device while leaving the entrance to his apartment building. His aide, Major Ilya Polikarpov, was also killed.On April 25, 2025, Yaroslav Moskalik, Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in a car bomb explosion in Balashikha, Moscow Region.On December 22, 2025, Fanil Sarvarov, Head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in a car bomb explosion in Moscow.On February 6, 2026, an unknown assailant—according to unconfirmed reports, a woman—attempted to shoot Vladimir Alekseyev, First Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. According to official information, he was hospitalised in serious condition.
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