Authorities say a female bomber near a Moscow restaurant kills at least three people and hurts 21 others
A homemade bomb carried by a woman resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals and left 21 others injured near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, according to authorities. Unconfirmed speculation is circulating on social media, suggesting a possible connection between the attack and the war in Ukraine.
The explosion took place shortly before 8 p.m. near an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, according to the police.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) reported that a woman, whose identity remains unknown, attempted to enter a restaurant with an improvised explosive device but was intercepted by a security guard.
NAK stated that the woman, the guard, and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant were killed instantly in the subsequent blast.
REN TV reported on Sunday that two individuals who were hospitalized later succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to five, although the report has not been officially confirmed. REN TV reported that six individuals are in a critical condition. the report
There is speculation about a possible connection to the Ukraine war.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Sunday expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and stated that those accountable would face consequences. A brutal terrorist attack occurred in Moscow yesterday,” he stated in a declaration.
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Law enforcement officers, heavily armed, cordoned off the area following the attack on Saturday.
The authorities refrained from disclosing the identities of the deceased or injured individuals, nor did they provide any information regarding suspects. Unverified reports circulating on social media indicated that a high-ranking Russian military commander was the intended target but remained unharmed.
More than four years into a full-scale war with Ukraine, Russia this year pledged enhanced protection for high-ranking military officials following a series of assassinations and attempted killings, which it attributed to Kyiv.
Russian war bloggers swiftly attributed the attack to Ukraine, doing so without providing any evidence. Kyiv has yet to provide a response.
The Kommersant daily proposed that the woman carrying the bomb might have been unaware of its presence, and that it could have been detonated remotely by another individual.presence and
The restaurant’s website indicated that the venue was closed on Saturday for a private event.
The nature of the attack brought to mind a bombing that occurred in 2023, which resulted in the death of Russian pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.
A young woman, Darya Trepova, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for delivering a bomb hidden inside a statuette that detonated in Tatarsky’s hands. She stated that she had been following the directions of a man in Ukraine who had provided her with funds.
Senior Ukrainian officials at the time neither acknowledged responsibility nor refuted involvement.
