Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Sunday that a bomb attack on a restaurant the previous evening was a "brutal terrorist act," though he did not assign responsibility.
The explosion occurred Saturday evening at the Balzi Rossi, an upscale Italian establishment in central Moscow. Russian state media, citing local officials, reported that three people died in the blast, including the woman identified as the bomber.
"Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives," Sobyanin wrote on social media Sunday. "The victims are currently in the city’s hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care." He added that an investigation was underway and that "those responsible for committing this crime will certainly be found and will face the punishment they deserve."
According to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, at least 21 people were injured. The device detonated as a woman attempted to bring the bomb into the restaurant, but a security guard refused her entry prior to the explosion, state news agency Ria Novosti reported. The Moscow Investigative Committee stated Saturday evening that the attack was under investigation.
As of Sunday afternoon, Russian authorities had not released further information or confirmed any claims of responsibility. The restaurant was closed for a private function on Saturday evening, Ria Novosti reported.
Security has been a heightened concern in Russia. Earlier this year, Russia's Federal Security Service announced increased security measures for senior military and government officials following a series of assassination attempts. These incidents occurred after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian authorities have previously attributed attacks to Kyiv, including a car bombing in Moscow last April that killed Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik. Ukraine did not publicly claim responsibility for that incident. In December 2024, Ukraine's SBU security service stated it had organized the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who headed the Russian military's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. Kirillov died when a bomb hidden in a scooter exploded outside his Moscow apartment building. Other notable bombing victims in Russia include 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 respond to accusations regarding Tatarsky's death.