A bombing at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in Moscow on Saturday killed three people and injured at least 21 others. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the incident as a "brutal terrorist act" and vowed that those responsible would be found and punished.
Investigators are working to identify the perpetrators, and no group had claimed responsibility as of Sunday. Russian authorities have not linked the bombing to earlier attacks or the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the explosion was caused by a homemade explosive device. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that a woman carrying the bomb was stopped by a security guard before the device detonated. The blast killed the woman, the security guard, and a restaurant patron. At least 21 other individuals sustained injuries in the explosion, which occurred around 8 p.m. local time on Kudrinskaya Square. The restaurant was closed to the public for a private event at the time of the incident.
Emergency services responded to the scene, with police blocking off the area. Video released by Russian state media showed armed officers and ambulances outside the damaged restaurant.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) had previously announced increased security for senior military and government officials following a series of assassination attempts in Russian cities since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. However, authorities have not connected that heightened security to Saturday's restaurant bombing.
