The Russian Embassy in Rome has blamed Ukraine for a deadly bombing at a Moscow restaurant that killed five people and injured 19, characterizing the act as an effort to intimidate the Italian community residing in Russia. The embassy referred to the perpetrators as "Kyiv terrorists" seeking to instill fear in Italians working in Russia, suggesting they too were targets.
According to the embassy, the Italian chef and his staff at the Balzi Rossi restaurant were unharmed due to the actions of a Russian security guard. Initial reports from the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which coordinates security agencies, stated that three people were killed in the Saturday night blast, including a woman carrying the explosive device, a guard who intervened, and a patron. The committee indicated that 21 others sustained injuries when the bomb detonated near the restaurant's entrance, but did not identify the target or the mastermind.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the incident as a "brutal terrorist act" but did not assign responsibility. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment on the embassy's statement or explanations for the differing death tolls.
Several Russian media outlets have suggested the bombing targeted a Russian general celebrating his birthday at the restaurant, with some speculating it was Col.-Gen. Alexander Chaiko, the newly appointed chief of Russia's aerospace forces. These claims remain unverified.
Russian authorities have previously accused Kyiv of orchestrating bombings and attacks against senior military officials since Russia's troop deployment into Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this year, Russia's Federal Security Service announced enhanced security measures for high-ranking military and government officials in response to such attacks.
Past incidents attributed to Ukraine include a shooting in February that left Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of military intelligence, wounded, and a car bombing in December that killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. In April 2025, another car bomb in Moscow, which Russia blamed on Kyiv, killed Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for most of these attacks, though it has openly acknowledged involvement in the December 2024 bombing of a scooter that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov. Other notable victims of attacks in Russia include Daria Dugina, daughter of nationalist thinker Aleksandr Dugin, and pro-Kremlin military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Kyiv denied involvement in the attack on Dugina and was less direct regarding the Tatarsky incident.