Russia: Moscow Mayor Condemns Restaurant Bombing as 'Brutal Terrorist Attack'

MOSCOW (Terror Monitor) — Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has described the bombing outside a restaurant in the Russian capital as a "brutal terrorist attack," though he stopped short of assigning responsibility for the incident.

According to Russian media, three people were killed in the explosion outside the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, including the suspected female suicide bomber.

In a social media post on Sunday, Sobyanin wrote, "Yesterday, a brutal terrorist attack occurred in Moscow that claimed precious lives." He added that the injured are receiving treatment at city hospitals and are being provided with all necessary medical care.

The mayor said authorities are continuing their investigation and vowed that those responsible would be identified and brought to justice.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, reported that at least 21 people were injured in the blast near Kudrinskaya Square.

According to the report, a woman attempted to carry an improvised explosive device (IED) into the restaurant but was stopped by security guards at the entrance. The device detonated moments later outside the building.

As of Sunday afternoon, Russian authorities had released no further details about the attack, and no group had claimed responsibility.

RIA Novosti reported that the restaurant had been closed to the public at the time because it was hosting a private event.

State media footage from the scene showed heavily armed security personnel, multiple ambulances, and emergency response vehicles.

Earlier this year, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced tighter security measures following a series of assassinations targeting senior military officers and government officials in Russian cities since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

However, Russian authorities have not linked the latest bombing to those earlier attacks or to the war in Ukraine.

Russia previously accused Ukraine of carrying out a car bombing in Moscow in April that killed Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik, although Kyiv denied responsibility.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), meanwhile, has previously acknowledged conducting the December 2024 operation that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces.