A homemade bomb carried by a woman exploded outside a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, killing three people and injuring at least 21 others. The blast occurred just before 8pm local time near the entrance of Balzi Rossi, an upscale Italian restaurant located on the ground floor of one of Moscow's famed "Seven Sisters" — the seven imposing Stalinist skyscrapers that define the city's skyline — at Kudrinskaya Square. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed the explosion was caused by an improvised device and opened a terrorism investigation.
According to Russian state media and investigative reports, the woman arrived claiming to deliver a gift for someone inside, where a private event was underway. A security guard grew suspicious, began to search the package, and was killed when the device — estimated to contain roughly one kilogram of TNT equivalent packed with metal pellets — exploded. The woman carrying it and a restaurant customer also died. Kommersant, a leading Russian daily newspaper, reported that the bomb may have been detonated remotely, raising the possibility that the woman was unaware she was carrying an explosive.
Multiple Russian media sources identified the apparent target as General Alexander Chaiko, commander of Russia's Aerospace Forces, who was reportedly celebrating his 55th birthday at the restaurant and was seated deeper inside when the blast occurred, escaping unharmed. Russian authorities have not officially confirmed his presence, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The restaurant's website had noted it would be closed Saturday for a private function.
Suspicion has fallen on Ukrainian intelligence services, though Kyiv has not commented. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian military officers and figures linked to the Kremlin have repeatedly been targeted in assassinations and bombings. Notable cases include the 2022 car bombing that killed Darya Dugina, daughter of ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin; the 2023 café bombing in St. Petersburg that killed military blogger Maxim Fomin; and the 2024 killing of General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical defence troops, by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside his Moscow apartment.
The area around Kudrinskaya Square, frequented by diplomats and officials and close to several foreign embassies, was sealed off by heavily armed security forces following the blast. A cycling event planned for the area that evening was cancelled. The Balzi Rossi, opened in 2015 and known as a haunt for diplomats and politicians, later deleted an initial social media post by its chef describing the incident as a minor inconvenience, apologising for remarks it acknowledged were "deeply inappropriate" given the loss of life.