An explosion outside the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi on Kudrinskaya Square killed at least three people, while in Belgorod, Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at a university developing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In a series of escalating events on Russian territory, a bombing attack in central Moscow and overnight drone strikes on Belgorod and Crimea marked the past weekend. At least three people were killed and 21 injured on Saturday evening when an improvised device exploded outside the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi on Kudrinskaya Square, reports BBC News. Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian media reports, drones struck a university building in Belgorod overnight into Sunday, where drones were being developed and tested.
According to information from Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK), an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device attempted to enter the Balzi Rossi restaurant but was stopped by a security guard. In the ensuing explosion, the woman, the guard, and a restaurant guest were killed on the spot. Russian media outlet REN TV reported unofficial information on Sunday that two of the injured later died in the hospital, which would bring the death toll to five, but there is no official confirmation of this. Six people remain in serious condition.
The restaurant was closed to the public on Saturday for a private event. Unverified information appeared on social media suggesting that the target of the attack was a high-ranking Russian military commander, who was reportedly dining there but was not injured. Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the guest list. The daily Kommersant suggested that the woman carrying the bomb may not have known about it, but that the device was detonated remotely by someone else.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. "A brutal terrorist attack was carried out in Moscow yesterday," Sobyanin said, as reported by Pakistan's Dawn. Russian military bloggers, without providing any evidence, quickly blamed Ukraine for the attack, writes Dawn. The Russian Embassy in Italy also directly accused Kyiv, stating: "It is clear that, in planning a terrorist attack on one of the best Italian restaurants in Moscow, the Kyiv terrorists wanted to frighten Italians working in Russia..." Kyiv has not yet commented on the attack.
A BBC reporter spoke with Moscow residents at the scene. "Explosions, deaths, that scares me. It's probably connected to the ongoing war," said a resident named Lyudmila. Another passerby, Galina, blamed Britain: "This is the work of Britain, this is your doing." Alexandra, who was walking her dog nearby at the time of the explosion, recounted: "I heard a loud bang. I immediately realized it was an explosion. I live here in the building. It's terrible." She added: "I can't get over this, I can't. Because it literally happened in front of me. It was awful."
The attack's modus operandi is reminiscent of the murder of pro-Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in 2023. In that case, Darya Trepova was sentenced to 27 years in prison for delivering a bomb hidden in a figurine. She claimed she acted on instructions from a man in Ukraine who sent her money, reports Dawn. Although the news of the restaurant explosion is a major story, Russian state television did not mention it in Sunday morning news broadcasts, instead focusing on Russian attacks on Ukraine and other topics, notes the BBC.
In a separate but temporally close development, Ukrainian drones attacked the Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov (also known as Belgorod State Technical University, BSTU) overnight into Sunday. According to a source from ASTRA, cited by Ukrainska Pravda, a fire broke out at the university. The institution was involved in developing and testing unmanned systems, including an automated drone control system.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, according to the state agency TASS, that air defense shot down 131 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions during the night. Ukrainian media also report explosions in temporarily occupied Crimea, in the Saky district, Feodosia, Simferopol, and Kerch.
