Russian officials say homemade bomb caused Moscow restaurant blast
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Russian officials have confirmed that a homemade explosive device caused the blast at a Moscow restaurant that left three people dead and 21 injured, according to state media reports citing security officials. Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said a woman carrying the device attempted to enter the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, at which point the bomb detonated, killing the woman, the guard and a restaurant visitor. Authorities have not identified a target, though the incident is likely to fuel speculation of a link to the war in Ukraine, given a pattern of assassinations of senior Russian military figures in and around Moscow in recent years, which the Kremlin has blamed on Kyiv.
The explosion occurred at around 20:00 local time on Kudrinskaya Square, inside one of Moscow's Stalin-era skyscrapers, where the restaurant was hosting a private function. Roads around the square were briefly closed and a planned evening cycling event in the area was cancelled, while video from Russian news agency RIA showed heavily armed law enforcement officers securing the scene. Initial reports suggested the blast happened in the restaurant's kitchen, but the venue later said the incident occurred outside; it also apologised for an early social media post claiming the premises were safe, calling the message inappropriate given the circumstances. Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, described the blast as "a cruel act of terror" and said law enforcement was working to establish what had happened.
- Homemade bomb killed three, injured 21 at Moscow restaurant
- Woman carrying device stopped by guard before it detonated
- No target identified; Ukraine war link suspected but unconfirmed
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Officials in Moscow have said a bomb-making incident, rather than an accident, was behind the explosion at a restaurant in the city. The blast happened at a venue inside one of the "Seven Sisters", the Stalin-era skyscrapers that are landmarks of the Russian capital, during what was reported to be a private event.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee is the body that investigates and responds to attacks of this kind, and its account is the main source of information on what happened. Authorities have said a woman carrying a device was stopped by a security guard before it went off, and casualties include people caught in the blast itself.
Incidents like this draw wide attention both because of the human toll and because they occur in a country currently at war, where security incidents in major cities are closely scrutinised for wider context and possible motive, even though no cause beyond the device itself has been officially confirmed.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Three killed in Moscow restaurant explosion”.