Moscow restaurant blast kills three, mayor calls it brutal terrorist attack

An explosion at the entrance of a restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow killed three people – the woman carrying the device, a security guard and a patron – and wounded at least 21 others, authorities said. The blast occurred shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Saturday while the venue was closed for a private event.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the incident as a "brutal terrorist attack" and said law-enforcement agencies would find those responsible and ensure they face punishment. > "Law enforcement agencies are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Those responsible for this crime will certainly be found and face the punishment they deserve," Sobyanin wrote in an online post.

Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that the woman attempted to enter the restaurant with a homemade explosive device, which detonated when she was stopped by a security guard. Heavily armed police sealed off the area and launched an investigation, but have not identified any group behind the attack.

The blast follows a series of strikes reported by Russian officials, including Ukrainian drone attacks on an apartment block in Engels, a warehouse in Samara Oblast, and numerous incidents in Belgorod Oblast. Russian authorities claim to have downed more than 200 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukrainian officials reported civilian casualties from Russian artillery and missile strikes in Kherson, Dnipro and Kyiv.