Three individuals have lost their lives and 21 others have been wounded after an explosion near a Moscow restaurant, police have confirmed.
The blast took place adjacent to a restaurant terrace on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow on Saturday evening at around 8:10pm (6:10pm BST), with the Interior Ministry releasing a statement on Russian social media platform Max.
Officials told state news agency Ria Novosti that the incident led to “three deaths and 15 injured, of varying degrees of seriousness”. The committee later revised the injury figure upwards from 15 to 21 people, taking the overall casualty toll to at least 24.
The injured were undergoing medical care.
View 2 ImagesA policeman stands near the site where an improvised explosive device detonated at a restaurant in central Moscow, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Among the dead were “a security guard who prevented an unknown woman suspected of trying to carry the explosive device into the restaurant, the unknown woman and one of the visitors,” a committee statement cited by the Tass news agency revealed.
Video footage published by the agency showed heavily armed police officers at the scene, which had been sealed off from members of the public, the BBC reports.
While the cause remains uncertain, the Baza Telegram channel suggested it happened within the restaurant’s kitchen area.
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An eyewitness told the channel that a wedding reception with approximately 50 attendees was taking place at the premises, stating they saw bloodied individuals being carried out in the aftermath of the explosion. Dozens of cyclists who had gathered in the vicinity for an evening ride through the city saw their plans abandoned.
Officers and emergency crews rushed to the location, with officials confirming an investigation into what triggered the blast.
According to Russian media outlets, traffic in the area surrounding the square has been suspended temporarily, while access points to Barrikadnaya metro station have been closed.