2026 Moscow bombing

2026 Moscow bombing
Part of terrorism in Russia and Russo-Ukrainian war
Cafeteria where the Balzi Rossi restaurant would later be located, 24 March 2013
Location55°45′32″N 37°34′50″E / 55.75889°N 37.58056°E / 55.75889; 37.58056
Kudrinskaya Square Building, Presnensky District, Moscow, Russia
Date1 August 2026 (2026-08-01)
19:55–20:10 (MSK; UTC+03:00)
Target
Attack type
Bombing
WeaponImprovised explosive device with metal ball bearings
Deaths5 (including the bomber)
Injured19
PerpetratorUnknown woman
DefenderSecurity guard

On 1 August 2026, a bombing occurred during a private banquet at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant on the ground floor of the Kudrinskaya Square Building in central Moscow. The bomber was an unidentified woman who attempted to enter the banquet with an improvised explosive device concealed within a gift box but was intercepted by a security guard.[1][2] Before she could get inside, the bomb detonated on the restaurant's veranda just outside of the entrance. The explosion killed 3 people, including the woman, and injured 21 others.[1][2] Two later died in hospital and 6 were reported to be in grave conditions.[3][4][5]

The attack is believed to be an assassination attempt on one or more Russian military officials, especially Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces and alleged war criminal, Aleksandr Chayko (born July 27, 1971), who was celebrating his late 55th birthday at the restaurant.[6][7][8][9]

Background

Restoran le Gastronom

The Balzi Rossi restaurant occupies the former site of Gastronome № 15, which opened on the ground floor of the Kudrinskaya Square Building on 27 February 1955. It was the largest grocery store in the Soviet Union at the time and was built in a neoclassical style similar to Eliseyevsky. The grocery store was transformed into a cafeteria after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In June 2013, the cafeteria was bought by the A-One Hip-Hop Music Channel and rebranded as the A-One Cafe. The neoclassical building was discofied, a stage and DJ booth were added for concerts in the dining hall, and a menu of street food was incorporated.[10] In June 2015, the Balzi Rossi restaurant was opened by the Campanian chef Emanuele Mongillo, transitioning the restaurant to a fine dining establishment. The Balzi Rossi restaurant is now managed by the Neapolitan chef Carmine Alfieri who heads a team of Italian cooks.[11]

The restaurant focuses on fine dining, haute cuisine, and Mediterranean cuisine. It is especially high-end and luxurious, being awarded three forks by Gambero Rosso, indicating an extraordinary restaurant. It is decorated with original Stalin-era crystal chandeliers, columns, and stained glass windows, as well as Renaissance statues, plants, and fountains.[12] For banquets, the restaurant accommodates up to 120 attendees.[11]

The bombing took place in a series of assassinations of Russian generals participating in the Russo-Ukrainian War. On 17 December 2024, general Igor Kirillov was assassinated by a scooter bomb in Moscow. On 25 April 2025, general Yaroslav Moskalik was assassinated in a car bombing in Balashikha. On 22 December 2025, general Fanil Sarvarov was assassinated in a car bombing in Moscow. And on June 9 2026, general Damir Davydov was assassinated in a car bombing in Balashikha. All of which Russia imputed onto the Security Service of Ukraine.

Banquet

On the evening of 1 August, venues at the Balzi Rossi restaurant were closed to the public and placed under strict guard for an £85,000 private banquet being held on the restaurant's outdoor Summer Terrace.[13][1] The celebration was attended by about 50 banqueters and 15 security guards with hand-held radios.[4][14] Russian Telegram channels claim that the guards stationed at the banquet were off-duty Federal Protective Service personnel, and that it was attended by Russian Federal Security Service officials, government officials, State Duma deputies, and Ministry of Defense generals. Witnesses also described military and government vehicles gathered around the restaurant.[14]

Russian and Ukrainian independent media outlets and journalist Oleg Kashin suspect that the banquet was occasioned for the belated 55th birthday of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Aleksandr Chayko.[15][16][17][18] Previously, on 16 March, Chayko had been included in the European Union sanctions list against Russian military personnel who "led their units at a time when hundreds of civilians were killed, in some cases as a result of brutal reprisals" for participating in the 2022 Bucha massacre in Ukraine.[19][20]

Photographs and videos surfaced on social media, showing preparations inside the Main Hall. In the background, a musician can be seen performing on a large stage, which was decorated with the words "Aleksandr 55".[21]

Yan Mateev, an associate of Alexei Navalny, proposed that the target could have alternatively been Major General Vladimir Selivyorstov or lieutenant general Aleksandr Yaroshevich, who were both celebrating their birthdays on the day of the bombing.[22]

Conflicting eyewitness accounts and social media posts contradictingly reported that the banquet was actually for a wedding reception.[16][15][4]

Bombing

Around 20:00 MSK (UTC+3), an unidentified woman approached the establishment with a gift box containing a homemade bomb with a power of approximately 1 kg of TNT equivalent and packed with metal ball bearings intended to act as shrapnel.[1][2]

The woman attempted to access the banquet with it in hand, but was confronted by a security guard at the entrance. The guard grew suspicious of the woman and moved to inspect it, at which time, the bomb detonated on the veranda.[1][2] The woman, the security guard, and an unidentified banqueter who was outdoors on the Summer Terrace were killed instantly by the immediate explosion, the woman's severed arm being blown about 15 meters onto a road.[2] Twenty-one others were variously injured by the explosion.[23][2] Later in the day, 2 victims died in hospital and 6 were in grave conditions.[3][4]

While the blast shattered windows, sparked a small fire, and caused a large shockwave that forcefully shook the restaurant causing debris to crash down, it failed to penetrate the walls of the building. The structure was left almost completely intact with superficial damage caused by ball bearings embedding into the façade.[23][1][4]

Banqueters abruptly began to evacuate the restaurant, fleeing toward Barrikadnaya station clutching their bloodstained clothes and carrying victims.[2][15] Armed law enforcement officers, Russian National Guard, emergency services, a bomb squad, and an investigative task force quickly rushed to examine the scene. Russian government vehicles surrounded the premises, cordoning off the restaurant and placing it under investigation.[2][16] The next day, restrictions were lifted and police and investigators left the scene.[24]

Investigation

Preliminary investigations report that the security guard's actions foiled the bombing, preventing a far greater number of casualties had the woman successfully infiltrated the banquet.[1][2][23]

Investigations also suggest the woman was possibly an unwitting delivery person paid to deliver the package, not aware of the box's explosive contents. Investigators believe the bomb was most likely detonated remotely and not deliberately by the woman.[2][18][1]

Victims

Aleksandr Chayko

It is reported that Chayko managed to escape unharmed with the protection of a bodyguard named Anatoly S.[25] While Chayko was uninjured, his 25-year-old daughter Maria was hit by shrapnel and suffered a traumatic brain injury while her husband, Daniil Peredriy, died in hospital and was secretly buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery on 6 August.[21][14][26][27] Chayko's 20-year-old niece, Yevdokia Kirilova, who was performing as a dancer, was wounded along with Chayko's father-in-law Aleksandr Peredriy. Kirilova's 30-year-old daughter-in-law Yulia succumbed to substantial injuries to her chest and abdomen, dying on 4 August.[22][28]

Several military officials in attendance were killed. It is reported that Chayko and Peredriy's colleague, and Maria's godfather, Major General Valery Plokhotnyuk, died on 1 August, arriving to the restaurant in a vehicle with flashing emergency lights at the time of the bombing.[29][27] Lieutenant General Igor Yerusalimov was also claimed to have died from injuries. His funeral was held on 4 August. Plokhotnyuk and Yerusalimov were reported to have been secretly buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery on 5 August.[27][30] However, when a correspondent at Verstka attempted to contact Yerusalimov, he personally answered and expressed confusion, demanding, "don't write anything about me".[27][31] Official records and registries did not indicate that Yerusalimov had died, and his daughter did not mention his death.[32] Other victims named Sergey L. and Igor G. were hospitalized. These claims are yet to be confirmed by Russian officials, who make no mention of Chayko or his associates in their reports.[24][33]

Reactions

Early reports erroneously reported that there was an accidental gas explosion caused by a leaking gas canister originating from the restaurant's kitchen.[16][34] This was soon disproven by Carmine Alfieri, who clarified on Instagram that the kitchen remained untouched by the explosion, and that there was a "minor issue" at the restaurant's entrance.[34][1] The Kudrinskaya Building also does not have a gas supply, rendering a gas explosion impossible.[22]

The Moscow Department of Transportation temporarily suspended transportation on the Garden Ring and Moscow Metro to and from the affected area for the remainder of the day.[15][13][4] The city's Night Bike Festival was also postponed indefinitely to another date.[4]

A criminal case was opened, and Russian authorities are investigating the explosion as a terrorist attack.[2]

On 2 August, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin released a statement on social media, describing the bombing as a "brutal terrorist act", sending condolences to those affected and assuring that those responsible will be punished.[35]

The Balzi Rossi restaurant closed and stated that they were "deeply saddened by the tragedy and extends its sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed” and wished a speedy recovery for those injured.[1]

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcasting network RT, posthumously granted the deceased security guard the Tigran Keosayan award of 1 million rubles.[4]

The Russian Embassy in Rome imputed the bombing on Ukrainian state terrorists, publishing a vitriolic digital condemnation that described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials as renegades and exporters of terrorism, casting threats and aspersions that likened them to al-Qaeda and ISIS. The embassy declared that "The bloody tentacles of Zelenskyy's terrorist gang have reached the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in Moscow", warning that "Anyone who continues to associate with these rogues, to sit at the same table, to kiss their beards and stubble, to admire their absurd black costumes of kamikaze terrorists or foresters, and to supply them with money and weapons..." is complicit in terrorism. The embassy also claimed that the motive of the bombing was to terrorize the Russian Italian community, saying that it was "clear that when planning a terrorist attack on one of the best Italian restaurants in Moscow, the Kyiv terrorists wanted to scare the Italians working in Russia and to show them that they too are in the crosshairs and could become the scoundrels’ next victims."[36][37][38] The announcement also accused Ukraine authorities of being responsible for the recent series of bombings in Russia and the 2026 Monaco bombing.[39]

On 3 August, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani rebuffed the Russian Embassy's statements, calling it a "colossal lie". He reaffirmed Italy's support for Ukraine, remarking “Why would Ukrainians want to intimidate Italians if our country stands alongside Kyiv?”[40]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Anna Chernova; Alessandra Freitas; Darya Tarasova (1 August 2026). "Bomb explodes at Moscow restaurant, killing two victims and woman suspected of delivering device". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Курьер не донесла бомбу до ресторана". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 1 August 2026. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Достоевский, Генри (2 August 2026). "Выросло число жертв взрыва в центре Москвы". RTVI (in Russian). Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Взрыв у ресторана Balzi Rossi в центре Москвы. Главное". Известия (in Russian). 2 August 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ "Russian Embassy in Rome blames Ukraine for deadly Italian restaurant bombing in Moscow". AP News. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Moscow restaurant bombing kills three". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Explosive Device at Moscow Restaurant—Three Dead". bluewin.ch. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Three people killed in Moscow bombing". France 24. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "3 Killed, 21 Wounded In Moscow Restaurant Bombing, Russian Authorities Say". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "A-ONE CAFE - кафе с вкусной кухней и живыми концертами". a1cafe.orgs.biz (in Russian). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Balzi Rossi". balzi-rossi.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Quality Matters с Еленой Филипченковой: Сен-Тропе по-московски или Средиземноморский ресторан Balzi Rossi". Posta-Magazine. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 Greenall, Robert (2 August 2026). "Three killed after bomb detonated at Moscow restaurant, state media say". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Bern, Stefaniia (2 August 2026). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 2, 2026". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Moscow restaurant bombing kills three". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Explosive Device at Moscow Restaurant—Three Dead". bluewin.ch. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Three people killed in Moscow bombing". France 24. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  18. 1 2 "3 Killed, 21 Wounded In Moscow Restaurant Bombing, Russian Authorities Say". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "ЕС ввел санкции против ответственных за убийства в Буче". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Агрессивная война России против Украины: Совет ввёл санкции против 9 лиц, ответственных за массовые убийства в Буче | EEAS". www.eeas.europa.eu (in Russian). Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  21. 1 2 Sauer, Pjotr (3 August 2026). "Russia blames Ukraine for deadly restaurant bombing in Moscow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 "Three killed, 15 injured in Moscow restaurant blast during general's party". NV. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 Osborn, Andrew (1 August 2026). "Female bomber kills at least three, injures 21 near Moscow restaurant, authorities say". Reuters. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Steve Rosenberg: Outside Moscow restaurant after bomb kills three". www.bbc.com. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Moscow restaurant bombing sparks pro-war nationalist fury over elite privilege and security failures". EUobserver. 4 August 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  26. ↑ Marc Bennetts; Liz Cookman. "Moscow restaurant bomber may have been targeting military chief". The Times. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Russian media report another general may have been killed in Moscow explosion". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Another relative of General Chaika died in Moscow following the explosion". UA.NEWS. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Major General Valery Plokhotnyuk Killed in Moscow Bombing". Militarnyi. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "Генерал‑лейтенанта Игоря Ерусалимова похоронили в Москве". iStories (in Russian). 6 May 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  31. ↑ Редакция «Вёрстки» (6 August 2026). "«Похороненный» генерал Игорь Ерусалимов может быть жив" (in Russian). Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Russian General Yerusalimov May Still Be Alive: The Story Behind His Funeral Has Raised". UA.NEWS. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  33. ↑ "Moscow restaurant bombing sparks pro-war nationalist fury over elite privilege and security failures". EUobserver. 4 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  34. 1 2 Hopkins, Valerie (1 August 2026). "Improvised Bomb Kills 3 at an Upscale Moscow Restaurant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Moscow mayor calls a deadly bomb attack on a restaurant a 'terrorist act'". AP News. 2 August 2026. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Steve Rosenberg: Outside Moscow restaurant after bomb kills three". www.bbc.com. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  37. ↑ "Russian Embassy in Rome blames Ukraine for deadly Italian restaurant bombing in Moscow". AP News. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  38. ↑ Sauer, Pjotr (3 August 2026). "Russia blames Ukraine for deadly restaurant bombing in Moscow". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  39. ↑ "Commento dell'Ambasciata della Federazione Russa in Italia (2 agosto 2026)". Ambasciata della Federazione Russa in Italia e San Marino (in Italian). 2 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  40. ↑ ANSA, Agenzia (2 August 2026). "Tajani, attentato a Mosca per intimidire italiani? 'Una balla colossale' - Ultima ora - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). Retrieved 3 August 2026.
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