Russia has blamed Ukraine for a bombing at an upmarket Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, which resulted in five fatalities and 19 injuries. The explosion occurred near the entrance to the establishment on Kudrinskaya Square.
Russian prosecutors stated that an unidentified woman, carrying an improvised explosive device, was stopped by a security guard while attempting to enter the restaurant before the device detonated. Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement on Sunday, accusing Kyiv of the attack and claiming that "The bloody tentacles of [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s terrorist gang have reached the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in Moscow."
While Russian authorities have not identified an intended target, pro-Kremlin military bloggers and independent Russian media outlets have reported speculation that the attack may have been aimed at Colonel General Aleksandr Chayko, commander of Russia’s aerospace forces. Chayko was reportedly attending a private banquet at the restaurant to celebrate his 55th birthday. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that Chayko was unharmed, but his daughter, Maria, was seriously injured and her husband, Daniil Peredriy, was killed in the blast.
The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that investigators believe the woman carrying the explosive device may not have been aware she was transporting a bomb, suggesting it was remotely detonated. Kyiv has not yet commented on the incident.