Russia blames Ukraine for deadly Moscow restaurant bombing

Moscow,UPDATED: Aug 3, 2026 19:42 IST

Russia's embassy in Rome on Monday blamed Ukraine for the deadly bombing at a Moscow restaurant over the weekend, calling it an attempt to intimidate Italians working in Russia. The blast at the Balzi Rossi restaurant killed five people and injured 19, according to the embassy.

In a statement, the embassy said "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". It added that the restaurant's Italian chef and his staff escaped injury only because of a Russian security guard's "vigilance and selfless dedication to his professional duty".

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities. Shortly after the attack on Saturday night, Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee had reported a lower toll, saying three people were killed and 21 were injured. It said those killed were a woman who carried the explosive device into the restaurant, a guard who stopped her, and a guest inside. The committee did not identify the target or name who was behind the bombing.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the blast on Sunday as a "brutal terrorist act", but did not say who was responsible. The restaurant is on the ground floor of a high-rise residential building that is one of seven Stalin-era skyscrapers in Moscow. Russia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the embassy's statement and did not explain the higher death toll. It also did not issue a separate statement on the incident.

Several Russian media outlets reported that the bombing was aimed at a Russian general celebrating his birthday at the restaurant. Some reports named him as Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, recently appointed chief of Russia's aerospace forces. Those claims could not be independently verified.

Russian authorities have repeatedly blamed Kyiv for bombings and other attacks on senior military officials since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. In February, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU military intelligence service, was shot three times at a Moscow apartment building but survived; Ukraine denied involvement. In December, a car bomb killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, in southern Moscow, and Ukraine did not comment. In April 2025, another car bomb that Moscow blamed on Kyiv killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in Russia's General Staff; Ukraine did not claim responsibility but hinted at involvement. In December 2024, a bomb hidden in a scooter killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, in one of the few such attacks that Ukraine openly acknowledged.

Other prominent victims of bombing attacks in Russia have included Daria Dugina, daughter of nationalist thinker Aleksandr Dugin, and Vladlen Tatarsky, a pro-Kremlin military blogger. Kyiv denied involvement in the attack on Dugina and did not clearly say whether it was behind the attack on Tatarsky. The latest Moscow restaurant bombing has again drawn accusations from Russia against Ukraine, even as questions remain over the intended target and the differing casualty figures.

With PTI Inputs

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