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The Moscow Restaurant Blast and General Aleksandr Tjajko

At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evening, an explosion rocked the Balzi Rossi luxury restaurant in central Moscow, according to reporting by Västerbottens-Kuriren. The target of the attack was General Aleksandr Tjajko, commander of Russia’s air and space forces, as noted by a source with insight cited by The Kyiv Independent. The restaurant had been closed to the public for a private banquet celebrating General Tjajko’s 55th birthday, which he had reached a few days prior. A video recorded inside the venue showed a sign bearing the text Aleksandr 55.

Official Russian accounts reported that a woman attempted to enter the establishment carrying a package she claimed was a gift. The bomb detonated when security guards subjected her to a security check, according to the state-controlled newspaper Kommersant. The woman delivering the package, the security guard, and at least one other guest were killed in the blast. Russian representatives have refrained from confirming who the intended target was, though authorities have officially classified the incident as a terrorist attack.

Casualties and Family Members Injured at Balzi Rossi

The explosion resulted in multiple injuries alongside the fatalities. Among those hurt was General Tjajko’s 25-year-old daughter, according to a source close to the restaurant management who spoke with the exile-Russian news outlet Vjorstka. In addition, Vjorstka reported that the daughter’s husband may also have been among the injured, based on unofficial casualty lists published in Kremlin-loyal media outlets. The current health condition of General Tjajko remains unclear, and Ukrainian authorities have not officially commented on the explosion.

Three Killed in Moscow Restaurant Explosion After Device Detonates

General Tjajko’s military background includes commanding the Eastern Military District during the early stages of the war in Ukraine, where Ukrainian authorities previously accused his forces of war crimes in Bucha outside Kyiv. He was appointed to his current leadership position as commander of the air and space forces as recently as May of this year.

Broader Pattern of Attacks Amid Ongoing Conflict

The Moscow restaurant bombing forms part of a wider sequence of security incidents targeting individuals connected to Russian military production and the armed forces. According to The Kyiv Independent’s source, the explosion at Balzi Rossi marks the third recent assassination attempt against Russians tied to military manufacturing and the military apparatus.

The incident in Moscow also coincides with cross-border tensions and strikes. Just prior to the Moscow blast, a Ukrainian commander was targeted in an attack in Kharkiv, prompting a direct reaction from Ukrainian leadership.

While Russian officials continue their investigation into the Balzi Rossi blast as an act of terrorism without officially acknowledging the general as the primary target, independent reports and exile media maintain that the leadership of Russia’s air and space forces was the intended focus of the lethal package.