Russian and international observers continue to scrutinize the unusual explosion that rocked a luxury restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday, killing three people and injuring 21 others in what appears to have been a planned assassination attempt targeting a senior Russian military official.
Russian media reported that the blast occurred around 8:10 p.m. at the entrance to the covered outdoor area of Balzi Rossi, an upscale Italian restaurant located roughly two kilometers from the Kremlin. The restaurant, frequented by members of Russia’s political and business elite, occupies the ground floor of one of Stalin’s famed “Seven Sisters” skyscrapers.
Investigators are focusing on a package reportedly brought to the restaurant by a woman and presented as a “gift” for one of the guests. According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, a security guard became suspicious, stopped the woman, and began inspecting the package. Authorities believe the improvised explosive device concealed inside was then detonated remotely.
The woman carrying the package, the security guard, and another guest were killed in the explosion. Russian authorities said 21 others were wounded. British media, citing Russian reports, said the bomb contained the equivalent of approximately one kilogram of TNT and was packed with metal pellets to maximize casualties.
Who Was the Target?
The identity of the intended target remains unconfirmed. However, Russian military bloggers and Telegram channels covering the war in Ukraine have speculated that the event was held in honor of Gen. Alexander Chaiko, commander of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, raising the possibility that he was the intended target.
Chaiko, who assumed the post in May and celebrated his 55th birthday last week, has not been confirmed to have attended the event, nor is there any official confirmation that he was injured or targeted. Russian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
Chaiko is one of Russia’s most senior military officers. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he commanded forces advancing from Belarus toward Kyiv. The offensive ultimately failed, and Russian troops operating in areas under his command were accused by Ukraine and Western governments of committing war crimes, including in Bucha.
The restaurant bombing is the latest in a series of assassinations and attempted assassinations targeting senior Russian military figures, pro-Kremlin personalities, and supporters of the war since the invasion of Ukraine began. Previous attacks have involved explosives hidden in cars, elevators, electric scooters, and other public locations.
The incident comes as Ukraine continues expanding its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russian territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukrainian reports said one target struck was another Wildberries logistics facility in Russia’s Samara region, roughly 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
In neighboring Saratov, local authorities reported two fatalities from a separate Ukrainian drone strike. In recent months, Ukrainian attacks have increasingly targeted Russian fuel depots, oil facilities, and logistics infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s military and economic capabilities.
Meanwhile, Russia continues launching large-scale strikes against Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials said a missile and drone barrage on Kyiv and surrounding areas on Saturday killed 10 people. According to Kyiv, Russia launched 35 missiles and 185 drones, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting most of the drones but only a limited number of the ballistic missiles.
If Russian reports are accurate and Chaiko was indeed the intended target, the attack would rank among the boldest attempted assassinations of a senior Russian military commander in Moscow since the war began.