Female suicide bomber kills three, injures 21 in central Moscow blast

Moscow. At least three people were killed and 21 others injured after a woman carrying a homemade bomb detonated an explosive device near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, Russian authorities said, amid unconfirmed speculation that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine.

The explosion occurred shortly before 8 pm near the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant, located in one of Moscow's seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said the woman, who was carrying an improvised explosive device, attempted to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard.

According to the committee, the woman, the security guard and a customer were killed instantly in the blast.

Russian broadcaster REN TV, citing an unnamed source, reported on Sunday that two of the injured later died in hospital, raising the death toll to five. However, the report has not been officially confirmed. The broadcaster also said six people remained in critical condition.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the incident as a "brutal terrorist attack" and offered condolences to the families of those killed.

"Those responsible will be brought to justice," he said in a statement on Sunday.

Security forces sealed off the area immediately after the explosion as investigators began examining the scene.Authorities have not identified the victims, named any suspects or established a motive.

Unverified reports circulating on Russian social media suggested a senior military commander may have been the intended target but escaped unharmed.

The attack comes more than four years into Russia's full-scale war with Ukraine, during which Moscow has accused Kyiv of orchestrating a series of assassinations and attempted killings targeting senior Russian military officials.

Russian military bloggers were quick to blame Ukraine for Saturday's explosion, although they presented no evidence. Ukrainian authorities had not commented on the incident by Sunday.

The *Kommersant* newspaper reported that investigators were exploring the possibility that the woman carrying the device may not have known it was an explosive and that it could have been detonated remotely.

The Balzi Rossi restaurant said it had been closed on Saturday for a private event.

The bombing has drawn comparisons with the 2023 killing of pro-war Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who died after a bomb concealed inside a statuette exploded during a public event.

In that case, Darya Trepova was sentenced to 27 years in prison after admitting she had delivered the statuette under instructions from a man in Ukraine who had sent her money. Senior Ukrainian officials neither claimed responsibility for nor denied involvement in the attack.