Attack on Moscow Restaurant: Target Was General Chaiko
Explosion on Kudrinskaya Square kills three, injures 21. General's daughter among the wounded. Italian Minister Tajani dismisses Russian claims of intimidating Italians.
Explosion on Kudrinskaya Square kills three, injures 21. General's daughter among the wounded. Italian Minister Tajani dismisses Russian claims of intimidating Italians.
The explosion that occurred in the evening hours of August 1, 2026, at a restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow claimed three lives and wounded 21 people. According to unofficial information from Russian media, the target of the attack was a private celebration of the 55th birthday of General Alexander Chaiko, recently appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the attack on August 2, 2026, calling it a "brutal terrorist act" on social media. "Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives. The victims are currently in city hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care," Sobyanin wrote, as reported by Channel News Asia. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed that among the dead were a security guard, a guest, and the female attacker herself, but the investigation is still ongoing and no one has publicly claimed responsibility.
Several Russian media outlets and Telegram channels, including the independent portal Verstka, speculate that at the time of the attack, a closed party was being held at the restaurant to celebrate the birthday of Alexander Chaiko. A source close to the restaurant's management confirmed to Verstka that among the injured is the general's 25-year-old daughter, Maria Chaiko, who goes by the surname Peredriy, and who sustained an open traumatic brain injury. Also on the list of injured is 27-year-old Danilo Peredriy, believed to be the general's son-in-law, as reported by Klix.ba.
Alexander Chaiko is considered one of the most prominent, but also most notorious, Russian military commanders. Vladimir Putin appointed him on May 4, 2026, as the Supreme Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Prior to that, he was the commander of the Eastern Military District, and at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, he led Russian forces during their entry into the Kyiv region and the town of Bucha, where some of the most severe war crimes against civilians were recorded. Because of this, the Council of the European Union placed him on its blacklist in March and imposed sanctions on him, along with eight other individuals.
The attack also sparked diplomatic tensions. The Russian embassy in Italy claims that Ukrainians wanted to intimidate Italians, but Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani firmly rejected that version. "Why would they even do that if we are on the side of Kyiv?" Tajani asked, calling the Russian claims nonsense, as reported by La Repubblica.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated on August 3, 2026, for the Russian daily Izvestia that Kyiv had broken off the negotiation process with Moscow. "Russian officials have repeatedly stated their openness to negotiations. The Ukrainian side broke them off and even canceled them on their behalf," Galuzin said, emphasizing that Russia has never refused to consider constructive proposals. "Will such ideas be accepted? That does not depend on us," he added, as reported by the Russian state agency TASS.
