Moscow bomb kills at least three as device carried by woman explodes
✓A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, prompting speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine.
The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time (6pm UK time) close to an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, police said.
Russia’s anti-terrorism committee said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device had tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, the state RIA news agency reported.
It said the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi restaurant were killed in the blast.
REN TV cited a source on Sunday as saying that two people who had been taken to hospital had later died of their wounds, bringing the death toll to five, but there was no official confirmation. The channel said six people were in a serious condition.
Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said those responsible would be punished. “A brutal terrorist attack was carried out in Moscow yesterday,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Heavily armed law enforcement officers sealed off the scene of the attack. The authorities did not name those killed or injured or any suspects. Unverified social media reports suggested a senior Russian military commander had been the intended target but had been unharmed.
More than four years into a full-scale war with Ukraine, Russia promised better protection for high-ranking military officials this year after a series of assassinations and attempted killings, which it blamed on Kyiv. Russian war bloggers, without citing any evidence, were quick to blame Ukraine for the latest attack. Kyiv did not immediately comment.
The Kommersant daily suggested the woman carrying the bomb may not have known about it, and that it had been set off remotely by someone else.
The restaurant’s website said the venue had been closed on Saturday for a private event. The nature of the attack recalled a bombing carried out in 2023 that killed the Russian pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. A young woman, Darya Trepova, was jailed for 27 years for delivering a bomb concealed inside a statuette that exploded in his hands. She said she had been acting under instruction from a man in Ukraine who had sent her money.
Senior Ukrainian officials at the time neither claimed responsibility nor denied involvement.
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An explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening killed at least three people and wounded at least 21. Police said a woman carrying an improvised explosive device attempted to enter the Balzi Rossi restaurant but was intercepted by a security guard. The woman, guard, and a customer were killed in the blast. Unconfirmed reports suggest two additional deaths from injuries, though this has not been officially verified. Moscow's mayor characterized the incident as a terrorist attack and pledged accountability. Russian officials and war bloggers attributed it to Ukraine without providing evidence; Ukrainian officials have not responded. One media report suggested the woman may not have known she was carrying the bomb and that it was detonated remotely. The incident parallels a 2023 bombing that killed a pro-war blogger, in which a woman delivered an explosive device.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, prompting speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine.
The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time (6pm UK time) close to an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, police said.
Russia’s anti-terrorism committee said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device had tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, the state RIA news agency reported.
It said the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi restaurant were killed in the blast.
REN TV cited a source on Sunday as saying that two people who had been taken to hospital had later died of their wounds, bringing the death toll to five, but there was no official confirmation. The channel said six people were in a serious condition.
Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said those responsible would be punished. “A brutal terrorist attack was carried out in Moscow yesterday,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Heavily armed law enforcement officers sealed off the scene of the attack. The authorities did not name those killed or injured or any suspects. Unverified social media reports suggested a senior Russian military commander had been the intended target but had been unharmed.
More than four years into a full-scale war with Ukraine, Russia promised better protection for high-ranking military officials this year after a series of assassinations and attempted killings, which it blamed on Kyiv. Russian war bloggers, without citing any evidence, were quick to blame Ukraine for the latest attack. Kyiv did not immediately comment.
The Kommersant daily suggested the woman carrying the bomb may not have known about it, and that it had been set off remotely by someone else.
The restaurant’s website said the venue had been closed on Saturday for a private event. The nature of the attack recalled a bombing carried out in 2023 that killed the Russian pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. A young woman, Darya Trepova, was jailed for 27 years for delivering a bomb concealed inside a statuette that exploded in his hands. She said she had been acting under instruction from a man in Ukraine who had sent her money.
Senior Ukrainian officials at the time neither claimed responsibility nor denied involvement.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
A homemade bomb killed at least three people and injured at least 21 near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time near an Italian restaurant at Kudrinskaya Square A woman carrying an improvised explosive device was stopped by a security guard at the restaurant entrance The woman, the security guard, and a customer were killed in the blast Unconfirmed reports cite two additional deaths from injuries, bringing a potential total to five Moscow's mayor called it a terrorist attack and said those responsible would be punished Russian war bloggers blamed Ukraine for the attack This attribution was made without cited evidence Kyiv did not immediately comment on the attack One media outlet suggested the woman may not have known about the bomb and that it was detonated remotely Social media speculation suggested a senior Russian military commander may have been the intended target The incident recalled a 2023 bombing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, in which a woman delivered an explosive device concealed in a statuette
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · BBC ↗ · The Guardian ↗
- A homemade bomb killed at least three people and injured at least 21 near a Moscow restaurant on Saturday evening
- A woman carrying the device was stopped by a security guard; both were killed in the blast along with a customer
- Russian authorities called it a terrorist attack; unconfirmed reports suggest the death toll may be five
- Social media speculation linked it to the Ukraine war; Russian officials blamed Kyiv without evidence, which has not commented
- The incident recalls a 2023 bombing of a pro-war blogger, also involving a woman and a remotely-triggered device