Moscow restaurant blast kills five; Russian general may have been target of homemade bomb

The explosion

An improvised explosive device detonated on the veranda at the entrance to the Balzi Rossi, an Italian restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow, at about 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, 1 August. The National Antiterrorism Committee said a woman carrying the device tried to enter the restaurant, which was closed for a private event, but was stopped by a security guard. The charge detonated during the encounter, killing the woman, the guard and one visitor instantly. Two more of the wounded died in hospital on Sunday, bringing the death toll to five. Health authorities said 21 people were injured, several of them seriously, and were taken to hospitals across the Russian capital.

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.

Who was inside

Russian Telegram channels and several media outlets reported that the private gathering was a 55th-birthday celebration for Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The name "Alexander 55" was visible on a stage inside the restaurant. Chaiko, who was sanctioned by the European Union over his role in the war in Ukraine, was reportedly at the back of the restaurant when the blast occurred and escaped unharmed. Military blogger Yan Matveev also named Major General Vladimir Seliverstov, former commander of the 106th Guards Airborne Division, and Lieutenant General Alexander Yaroshevich as possible attendees, noting both had birthdays that day. None of the identifications has been confirmed by Russian authorities.

The investigation

The main investigative directorate of Russia's Investigative Committee is treating the explosion as a terrorist act and has opened a criminal case under Article 205 of the Russian criminal code. No political motive has been announced and the National Antiterrorism Committee has not attributed the attack to any group. The Kommersant newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that the device may have been detonated remotely and that the woman carrying it may not have known it was an explosive. No one has publicly claimed responsibility.

Russian embassy blames Ukraine

The Russian embassy in Italy issued a statement on its Telegram channel accusing "Ukrainian terrorists" of staging the attack to intimidate Italians working in Russia. The embassy said the Neapolitan chef Carmine Alfieri and his staff escaped injury only because of the security guard's intervention. The statement called the Kyiv government "an emanation of Al-Qaeda and ISIS" and said anyone continuing to supply it with money and arms is an accomplice. No public evidence was provided to support the accusation, and Ukraine has not claimed the attack.

The bloodthirsty tentacles of Zelensky's terrorist gang have reached the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in Moscow. Only thanks to the attention and professional self-sacrifice of a Russian security services agent, the Neapolitan chef Carmine Alfieri and his team members were not injured.

A series of attacks

Saturday's blast is the latest in a string of bombings and assassinations targeting Russian military and pro-war figures since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. In August 2022, propagandist Daria Dugina was killed by a car bomb. In April 2023, military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky died when an explosive hidden in a statuette detonated during a public event in St Petersburg. In April 2024, Russia blamed Ukraine for a car-bomb attack in Moscow that killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the operational department of the Russian General Staff. Kyiv has never publicly claimed responsibility for that killing.