(MOSCOW) – A powerful explosive device detonated outside an upmarket restaurant in central Moscow, killing at least three people and injuring more than 20. The attack occurred roughly three kilometres from the Kremlin, shattering any illusion of safety for the Russian military elite deep inside their own capital.
Russian state media, quoting the country’s anti-terrorism committee, reported the blast was caused by a homemade bomb packed with about one kilogram of TNT and metal shrapnel. A woman, described as a courier delivering a package, was stopped by a security guard at the entrance of the Balti Rosi restaurant on Kudenskaya Square. The device exploded on the terrace, killing the woman, the guard, and a third unidentified person.
The restaurant, which boasts an Italian chef, was closed for a private event. Multiple well-informed pro-regime Russian Telegram channels reported the gathering was the 55th birthday celebration of Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces. While this has not been officially confirmed, open-source information, including his biography, corroborates his age and birth date as 1 August.
Colonel General Chaiko is a high-value figure. He previously commanded the Russian expeditionary force in Syria and led army units that conducted the massacre in Bucha, near Kyiv, during the early stages of the full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He is considered one of the top five commanders in the Russian army, with DW Russia Analyst Konstantin Eggert noting the entire pool of such high-ranking army generals is between 30 and 50 people.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the perception among observers is that if General Chaiko was the target, it signifies a deep penetration of Russian society by Ukrainian intelligence. Eggert stated it sends a clear message to the Russian top brass: “I’m watching you and I’m watching you from places you don’t even know.”
The attack fits a pattern of targeted operations blamed on Ukraine. Earlier this year, the FSB announced it would step up protection for high ranking military officials following a series of assassinations and attempted assassinations. The brazen nature of this bombing, a half hour walk from the seat of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s power, represents a profound security failure. The Kremlin is expected to avoid commenting, as admitting a foreign intelligence service could so nearly assassinate a top general in the heart of Moscow would signal embarrassing weakness.
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