An explosion occurred on August 1, 2026, around 8 p.m. local time near the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow, killing at least three people and injuring between 15 and 21 others with varying severity [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].

Among the dead were a woman carrying a homemade explosive device, a security guard who stopped her from entering the restaurant, and a customer inside the venue [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10]. The restaurant was closed for a private event at the time of the blast [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10].

Russian authorities immediately launched an anti-terrorism investigation, treating the incident as a terrorist attack [8, 10]. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it "a brutal terrorist attack," promising that "those responsible for this crime will certainly be found and face the punishment they deserve" [10].

The bomb likely contained metal ball bearings and had an estimated TNT equivalent of about 1 kilogram, designed to increase lethality [8]. Officials believe the device, possibly detonated remotely, was aimed at guests sitting on the restaurant’s outdoor summer terrace. The woman carrying it might not have known it was a bomb [4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

Heavy armed law enforcement sealed off the scene and nearby roads after the blast. A planned evening cycling event in Moscow was canceled for security reasons [1, 3, 8, 11].

Some sources raised the possibility that the explosion was caused by a gas canister leak or blast, but this remains unconfirmed and conflicts with the official position that a homemade bomb was involved [1, 3, 9, 12]. Russian state entities have blamed Ukrainian forces for similar attacks in the past but have not made a direct claim about responsibility for this bombing [4, 6, 8, 10].

The death toll is reported as at least three, though one source mentioned five fatalities including two who died later in hospital [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Authorities continue their investigation into the circumstances of the explosion and the identity of those involved.