Explosion at Elite Moscow Restaurant: Three Dead, 21 Injured
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed it was a terrorist attack, reportedly targeting General Aleksandr Chaiko.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed it was a terrorist attack, reportedly targeting General Aleksandr Chaiko.
On Saturday evening, August 1, 2026, a powerful explosion rocked the exclusive Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in central Moscow. According to the latest data from Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK), three people were killed and 21 were injured. Among the dead are a security guard who tried to prevent a woman from bringing in an explosive device, the woman herself, and one of the restaurant's guests.
The time of the explosion varies depending on the source. French outlet France Info reports it occurred around 20:10 Moscow time, while Russian agency TASS cites NAK recording the detonation at 19:55. Moscow police, according to the Straits Times, reported the explosion around 20:00. Although initial reports, including from Russian state television, suggested a gas cylinder explosion as the cause, NAK quickly confirmed it was a terrorist act carried out with an improvised explosive device. The number of injured fluctuated in the first hours after the attack. Moscow police initially reported 15 injured, while independent channels like Baza reported 17 people in serious condition. The Telegram channel Operativnoye ZSU mentioned as many as 16 seriously injured out of a total of 21 wounded.
The restaurant was closed to the public that evening for a private event. According to Ukrainian Pravda and Russian Telegram channels Baza and Astra, the occasion was the 55th birthday celebration of Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko, commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). A video filmed in the restaurant before the explosion, published by the channel Ateobreaking, shows preparations for the celebration with the author's commentary: "Preparations are in full swing, Aleksandr turns 55 today." According to Ateobreaking, General Chaiko was born on July 27. He reportedly survived the attack. Ukraine accuses him of war crimes committed in Bucha and during the bombing of Kyiv in 2022.
Following the explosion, the area around Kudrinskaya Square, near one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers, was immediately cordoned off by heavy security forces. Officers from Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and Rosgvardia (Russian National Guard) arrived on the scene. Traffic was halted on the Garden Ring (Sadovoye Koltso), Moscow's main thoroughfare, as well as on Barrikadnaya, Konushkovskaya, and Maly Konushkovsky Lane. Entrances to the nearby Barrikadnaya metro station were also closed.
The head chef of Balzi Rossi denied that the explosion occurred inside the establishment. "Thank you all for your support, everything is fine with us, our restaurant and our kitchen are in perfect condition... the problems happened outside, in front of the restaurant!" he said via the RVvoenkor channel.
The attack comes amid the war in Ukraine, during which Ukrainian intelligence services have claimed responsibility or been accused of a series of assassinations and assassination attempts on Russian military officials and public figures supporting the conflict. Although no party has yet officially claimed responsibility for this attack, Russian officials and media have already characterized it as a terrorist act. The Telegram channel Voenacher even made an unsubstantiated claim about a "biodrone explosion." For Croatian citizens traveling to Russia, this incident further underscores the heightened security risks in the country.
