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Woman’s Homemade Bomb Kills 3, Injures 21 Near Moscow Eatery

A bomb attack outside a Moscow restaurant killed three people including the female carrier and a security guard, injuring 21 others Saturday evening.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

AUGUST 2, 2026 AT 3:48 PM

The explosion took place Saturday evening just before 8:00 p.m. local time near Balzi Rossi, an Italian restaurant housed in one of Moscow’s iconic Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinkskaya Square, according to New York Post.

Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee stated that an unidentified woman attempted to enter the restaurant but was prevented from doing so by a security guard stationed at the entrance. The blast that followed killed the woman carrying the device, the security guard who stopped her, and a customer at the establishment, state media outlet RIA reported.

Police confirmed that at least 21 people sustained injuries of varying severity in the explosion. The wounded were transported to area medical facilities for treatment.

Video footage released by RIA showed heavily armed law enforcement personnel securing the scene, which was cordoned off from public access. Authorities have not yet released the identities of those killed or injured, nor have they publicly identified any suspects or claimed responsibility for the attack.

Security Concerns Amid Ongoing Conflict

The bombing comes more than four years into Russia’s full-scale military operation in Ukraine. Earlier this year, Russia’s FSB security service announced enhanced protection measures for high-ranking military officials following a series of assassinations and attempted killings that Moscow has attributed to Kyiv.

The Kommersant newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that the explosive device was likely intended to target guests on the restaurant’s outdoor summer terrace. The publication suggested the bomb may have been remotely detonated by another party and that the woman carrying it may not have been aware she was transporting an explosive device.

The restaurant’s website indicated the venue had been closed Saturday for a private event, though authorities have not disclosed details about the gathering or its attendees.

With information from New York Post

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.