Deadly bombing strikes upscale Moscow restaurant

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed the blast occurred just before 8 p.m. at Kudrinskaya Square. While officials officially report three fatalities, local news outlet REN TV reported on Sunday that two additional victims succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, though this remains unverified by state authorities. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the incident as a brutal terrorist act, promising that those responsible will face consequences.

Law enforcement cordoned off the area as speculation mounted regarding the motive. While some social media reports suggested the attack targeted a high-ranking military official, no evidence has surfaced to support this claim. The daily newspaper Kommersant floated the possibility that the woman may have been an unwitting carrier, with the device detonated remotely. The scene drew immediate comparisons to the 2023 assassination of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed by a bomb hidden in a statuette. As of Sunday, Kyiv has issued no comment regarding the incident, despite vocal accusations from various Russian war bloggers.