- Maria Chayko, 25, daughter of Russian Aerospace Forces Commander General Aleksandr Chayko, was reportedly injured in a bombing at a Moscow restaurant on August 1, with her husband possibly killed in the blast.
- The explosion at the restaurant killed five people and injured 21, with initial reports attributing the blast to a gas leak before confirming it was caused by an improvised explosive device.
- Alexander Chayko appears to have been the target of the bombing, as he was celebrating his 55th birthday at the restaurant, and he commanded troops during the Bucha massacre in Ukraine.
- The Russian embassy in Italy accused Ukraine of carrying out the bombing, marking the first official public allegation by Russian officials that Kiev was behind the attack.
- The explosive device was delivered to the restaurant by a courier, who was among those killed, along with a security guard who stopped her and a customer.
- Chayko has been accused of numerous war crimes and is under sanctions from the United Kingdom and the European Union for his role in atrocities committed during the occupation of Ukraine.
- Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, senior Russian military officers and prominent pro-Kremlin figures have been targeted in assassinations and bomb attacks, including inside Russia.
A bombing at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow on August 1 injured Maria Chayko, daughter of General Alexander Chayko, who was reportedly the target during his 55th birthday celebration. The explosion killed five and injured 21, with initial reports suggesting a gas leak before the National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed it was an improvised explosive device.1234578
The Russian embassy in Italy accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, stating, "The bloody tentacles of Zelensky's terrorist gang have reached the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in Moscow," and claimed the bombing aimed to intimidate Italians in Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the incident as a "brutal act of terror."6
Among the casualties was a woman suspected of carrying the explosive device, who was killed along with a security guard and a customer. Reports indicate that Maria Chayko suffered an open traumatic brain injury, while her husband, Danylo Peredriy, is believed to have died in the blast.
General Alexander Chayko, who has been sanctioned by the EU for alleged war crimes, was the most senior Russian military officer in Ukraine at the start of the 2022 invasion. He commanded forces during the occupation of Bucha, where numerous atrocities were reported. The attack on his birthday marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, with senior military figures increasingly targeted.
As of now, Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident or their potential involvement.
“The blast killed five people and wounded 19, with Russian authorities saying a woman who brought the device disguised as a gift died alongside a security guard who stopped her. Chayko, appointed to lead Russia's Aerospace Forces in May 2026, was reportedly celebrating his 55th birthday at the restaurant.”
