Top Putin war commander survives ‘assassination bid at birthday party’ where homemade bomb ‘delivered by courier’ killed five
A homemade bomb, reportedly disguised as a gift and delivered by courier, exploded at an upmarket Moscow restaurant during the 55th birthday party of General Alexander Chayko, Commander-in-Chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces, killing five people and injuring 19. Chayko himself survived, but his son-in-law was killed and his daughter seriously wounded, in what is being described as a possible assassination attempt on one of Vladimir Putin's most senior war commanders, who was accused by Ukraine of war crimes linked to the 2022 Bucha massacre.
The blast happened at around 8.10pm local time at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Kudrinskaya Square, just over a mile from the Kremlin, during a lavish £85,000 party attended by politicians, military and intelligence officials. Reports say the device contained metal balls and had a force equivalent to 1kg of TNT, and that a female bomber was killed after being intercepted near the terrace. Among the dead was former ice hockey player Daniil Peredriy, 27, whose wife, Chayko's daughter Maria, 25, suffered a serious brain injury; police put the toll at three dead and 15 injured, while other reports cited higher figures. Separately, Ukrainian sources claimed another senior Russian general, Dmitry Mikhailov, was killed by a drone strike, though this has not been officially confirmed.
- Bomb at Moscow restaurant kills five during Russian general's birthday party
- Commander Alexander Chayko survives; son-in-law dies, daughter injured
- Ukraine had branded Chayko a war criminal over the Bucha massacre
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Russia's war against Ukraine, now well into its fourth year, has repeatedly seen its military leadership targeted away from the front line. Senior commanders overseeing the invasion have become the focus of bombings, shootings and other attacks, some claimed by Ukrainian intelligence and others left unexplained, as both sides seek to weaken command structures beyond the battlefield itself.
Homemade explosive devices, sometimes hidden in parcels or gifts and delivered by courier, have been used in several previous attacks on Russian military and security figures since the invasion began in 2022. Such methods make it hard to know in advance who else might be caught up in a blast, and attacks of this kind have killed or wounded bystanders as well as their intended targets.
Any attempt on the life of a senior Russian commander loyal to President Vladimir Putin is significant because it points to the risks faced by figures tied to the Kremlin's war effort, even away from Ukraine itself, and raises questions about who might be responsible and why.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of such actions argue that in an active war, a senior commander directing operations is a legitimate military target, and removing him could save lives by disrupting command structures and battlefield planning. They contend that covert strikes against military leadership are a proportionate, targeted alternative to wider bombing campaigns, and that a state defending itself against invasion has the right to use unconventional means, including intelligence-led operations, to protect its territory and people.
The case against
Critics argue that a homemade bomb delivered by courier to a birthday party is inherently indiscriminate, and that killing five people, apparently including bystanders or family members rather than only the intended target, crosses a line from military necessity into reckless endangerment of civilians. They contend that such methods risk normalising assassination and terrorism as tools of statecraft, undermine the laws of armed conflict that distinguish combatants from civilians, and could invite further escalation and reprisals that endanger uninvolved people on both sides.