An explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya square in central Moscow resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, according to reports from Russian state media quoting security authorities. The incident occurred at approximately 20:00 local time. The National Anti-Terrorist Committee stated that a woman carrying the explosive device attempted to enter the establishment but was prevented from doing so by a security guard. The device subsequently detonated, resulting in the deaths of the woman, the guard, and a restaurant patron who was present at a private event.
Russian authorities have not publicly identified a suspected target or motive for the attack. However, observers in Moscow have noted the possibility of a connection to the conflict in Ukraine, given the pattern of recent incidents in the capital. Over the past several years, multiple senior Russian military officials have been killed in Moscow and its surrounding areas. The Russian government has attributed responsibility for those previous incidents to Ukraine, which has denied involvement.
Initial reporting indicated the blast occurred within the restaurant’s kitchen area, though the establishment later clarified that the incident took place outside the building. The restaurant operates within one of Moscow’s distinctive Stalin-era high-rise buildings. Authorities cordoned off roads around the square and deployed heavily armed law enforcement personnel to the location. A cycling event that had been scheduled to begin nearby that evening was canceled in response to the incident.
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