Bomb kills three outside Moscow restaurant; air force chief may have been target

A homemade bomb exploded just before 8 p.m. Saturday outside the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, about two kilometers from the Kremlin. Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee said a woman tried to enter the venue but was stopped by a security guard, and the device then detonated.

The blast killed the woman, the guard, and a customer, according to state media citing officials. At least 21 others were wounded, Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, calling the attack a "brutal terrorist act" and vowing to find those responsible.

The restaurant had been closed for a private function. The independent Russian outlet Sirena reported, according to Franceinfo, that the event was the 55th birthday of air force commander Alexander Tchaiko, who led forces in Ukraine when troops entered Bucha in February 2022. Russian authorities have not confirmed this detail, and Tchaiko's status remains unclear.

The Kommersant newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the bomb may have been intended for people on the terrace and could have been triggered remotely by another person, with the woman possibly unaware she was carrying an explosive. These claims have not been officially verified.

No group has claimed responsibility. Earlier this year, the FSB announced tighter security for senior military officers after a series of assassinations attributed to Kyiv, including the 2024 killing of General Igor Kirillov, which Ukraine's SBU claimed.

Heavily armed police and emergency vehicles sealed off the area, and nearby metro entrances were temporarily closed. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not named suspects or confirmed any link to Ukraine.