Three killed after bomb detonated at Moscow restaurant

Authorities said a woman carrying the explosives tried to enter the restaurant but was stopped by security; the device detonated, killing the woman, the guard and a visitor.

Ambali Abdulkabeer • August 2, 2026

Responders on explosion scene.

At least three people were killed after a homemade explosive device was detonated at an Italian restaurant in Moscow on Saturday evening.

Reports said the blast occurred at about 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Kudrinskaya Square near the city centre.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee disclosed that a woman carrying the explosives tried to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard.

The device detonated, killing the woman, the guard and a visitor to the Balzi Rossi restaurant, which had been holding a private function.

The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, said the blast was “a cruel act of terror which took human lives”.

Mr Sobyanin added that law-enforcement agencies were working to establish what had happened.

Amid Russia’s war with Ukraine, the FSB security service said that authorities would deepen protection for high-ranking military officials following a series of assassinations and attempted killings.

While Russian officials had not commented on any possible Ukrainian involvement in the blast, Ukraine earlier used drones to attack other parts of Russia, including a bombing targeting an apartment in the city of Engels.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.