What do we know about the attack at the Italian restaurant in Moscow?
The Russian authorities are accusing Ukraine and speculate that the target was General Aleksandr Chaiko, whilst many questions remain regarding the circumstances of the attack and those responsible for it
The attack that on Saturday evening at the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in central Moscow, leaving at least five people dead and 19 injured. The Russian authorities are blaming Ukraine, whilst Kyiv has not commented and, as yet, no public evidence has emerged to support Moscow’s account. It also remains to be clarified what the actual target of the attack was.
According to the account released by the Russian authorities and reported by local media, a woman arrived at the restaurant entrance claiming she had to deliver a gift to the guests at a private party. When a security guard began to inspect the parcel, the bomb exploded. Among the victims was the woman carrying the bomb herself. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the device was detonated remotely and that the woman was unaware of its contents.
The incident is reminiscent of the 2023 attack in which the pro-government blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed by the explosion of a statuette packed with explosives that had been handed to him during a public meeting.
The possible target
According to various Russian media outlets, the party held at Balzi Rossi was reportedly to mark the 55th birthday of General Aleksandr Chaiko, who had recently been appointed commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces. However, there is no official confirmation that he was at the restaurant at the time of the explosion.
Chaiko is a leading figure in the Russian military and is accused by Ukraine of having been responsible for operations carried out in the Kyiv region during the early stages of the 2022 invasion, including those in the Bucha area. If he had indeed been present, he would have been a target consistent with the strategy of targeted attacks which, in recent years, has targeted Russian military officers and supporters of the war.
