Bombing at Moscow restaurant kills 3, injures at least 21

A homemade bomb carried by a woman exploded near an upscale Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, killing three people and injuring at least 21, according to authorities. The blast happened close to Kudrinkskaya Square, in one of the city's Stalin-era skyscrapers, and the area was sealed off after the explosion. Police said the incident took place just before 8pm local time.

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Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman had tried to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard before the explosion, state media reported. Authorities said the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi restaurant were among those killed. Injured people suffered wounds of varying seriousness, police said, but officials did not immediately identify the dead or wounded.

Investigators also did not say who they believed was responsible. Video from the scene showed heavily armed law enforcement officers around the cordoned-off area. The restaurant's website said the venue had been closed for a private event, while one newspaper source cited by local media suggested the bomb may have been intended to harm guests on the summer terrace outside.

That account also said the device may have been detonated remotely and that the woman carrying it may not have known it was explosive. Those details have not been independently confirmed by the authorities. The attack comes at a time of heightened security concern in Russia, where officials have repeatedly warned about threats to public figures and sensitive sites during the war in Ukraine.

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Earlier this year, the Federal Security Service said protection for high-ranking military officials would be stepped up after a series of assassinations and attempted killings that it blamed on Kyiv. While the Moscow blast has not been linked publicly to any group or state, it adds to pressure on the authorities to explain how a bomb reached a busy central district. The location also gives the incident wider significance because it happened in a prominent part of the capital, near a well-known restaurant in a landmark building.

Moscow's central districts are heavily monitored, and any attack there raises questions about screening, access control and the ability of security services to prevent explosives from entering public venues. The fact that the blast occurred near a restaurant rather than at a government site may also complicate the investigation into motive and target selection. What remains unclear is whether the woman acted alone, whether the bomb was triggered remotely, and whether the restaurant was the intended target or only the location where the device was intercepted.

Authorities have not named any suspect or explained the motive. The next developments to watch are the identification of the victims, any forensic findings on the explosive device, and whether investigators announce a terrorism-related case or another line of inquiry.

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