Moscow Restaurant Bombing Kills 3 in Homemade Device Attack

A homemade explosive device detonated at an upscale Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, killing three people and injuring at least 21 others, according to Russian authorities. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) with a force equivalent to one kilogram of TNT, packed with metal pellets that caused widespread injuries.

The Attack

The explosion occurred just before 8 p.m. local time at the Balzi Rossi restaurant, located at the base of the Kudrinskaya Square building—one of Moscow’s famous “Seven Sisters” Stalin-era skyscrapers. According to The Guardian, an unidentified woman attempted to enter the restaurant carrying the device disguised as a gift in a box. A security guard became suspicious and stopped her, and the device was detonated at that moment—killing the woman, the guard, and a restaurant patron.

BBC News reported that the restaurant had been closed for a private function at the time of the blast. The Kommersant daily, citing its own sources, suggested the bomb may have been detonated remotely by someone other than the woman carrying it—and that she may not have known she was carrying an explosive device.

Possible Target: A Russian General

Multiple reports indicate the private event may have been a birthday celebration for a senior Russian military commander. The Telegram monitoring channel ASTRA, citing witnesses, reported that a birthday celebration for a general was taking place near where the explosion occurred, as Al Jazeera noted.

Journalist Oleg Kashin suggested the event may have been for Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who turned 55 on June 27. A video posted by Ukrainian blogger Anatoly Shariy showed a banner in the restaurant reading “Alexander—55 Years Old.” According to Kyiv Post, the general was reportedly not injured in the blast.

Chaiko led the Russian attempt to capture Kyiv in 2022 and was sanctioned by the European Union for his role commanding Russian forces around the city during the Bucha massacre, in which over 400 Ukrainian civilians were killed.

Official Response

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the blast “a brutal terrorist attack” and vowed that those responsible “will certainly be found and will face the punishment they deserve,” as reported by France24. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation under Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (“terrorist act”).

A Pattern of Targeted Attacks

The bombing follows a series of targeted attacks on Russian military officials inside the country. In June 2026, a car bombing in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha killed Colonel Damir Davydov, a defense ministry official responsible for supplying ammunition to the front in Ukraine. The FSB security service said earlier this year that authorities would step up protection for high-ranking military officials following a series of assassinations it blamed on Kyiv, according to RTE.

The attack also recalled the April 2023 bombing that killed Russian pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a St. Petersburg cafe, when a young woman delivered a bomb concealed inside a statuette that exploded in his hands.

Eyewitness Accounts

Witnesses described chaos and confusion in the moments after the blast. One witness told Jimu News via NetEase: “Firefighters arrived first, then ambulances, then National Guard and other rescue personnel. I saw several well-dressed women running out of the restaurant holding their shoes. Behind them came a bare-chested man whose T-shirt was stained with blood.”

The restaurant’s head chef, Carmine Alfieri, posted on social media that the restaurant and kitchen were intact and the problem occurred outside. The restaurant initially posted on Instagram that everything was safe on the premises but later removed the post, apologizing as it was “highly inappropriate given the circumstances,” as Metro UK reported.

What to Watch For

Russian war bloggers, without citing evidence, were quick to blame Ukraine for the attack, but Kyiv did not immediately comment. Authorities have not yet named any suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing. Reports from Charter97 suggest the death toll may rise, as two injured individuals reportedly died in hospital, though this has not been officially confirmed.

As the investigation unfolds, the attack raises significant questions about security for senior military figures in Russia and the broader implications of a conflict that continues to reverberate far beyond the front lines in Ukraine.