A senior Russian military commander survived what may have been an assassination attempt after a bomb exploded at a Moscow restaurant hosting his 55th birthday celebration. The suspected Chayko assassination attempt struck the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, just over a mile from the Kremlin, on Saturday, August 1.
Colonel-General Alexander Chayko, Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, was reportedly the target of the blast, according to several pro-Russian military bloggers and independent Russian outlets, including Vazhnye Istorii and Novaya Gazeta. Russian authorities have not officially confirmed Chayko was present or was the intended target.
What Happened at the RestaurantThe blast occurred at around 8pm local time, when a woman attempted to bring an improvised explosive device into the restaurant. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the device, packed with metal balls and weighing roughly one kilogram, detonated after a security guard stopped the woman for inspection.
The woman, the security guard, and at least one restaurant customer were killed in the explosion, according to the Committee. Video from the scene showed shattered windows, debris scattered across the entrance, and heavily armed law enforcement officers guarding the area as emergency crews searched the building.Casualty figures have varied across reports as the situation developed. Most outlets, including CNN, TASS and the Daily Beast, initially reported three deaths and around 21 injuries, though some reports later noted additional deaths among the injured in hospital. Russian and Ukrainian sources have described two competing accounts of the event: one suggesting it was a private wedding reception, the other describing it as a closed celebration for Chayko’s birthday, attended by high-ranking FSB officials, lawmakers, and generals from Russia’s Ministry of Defence.
Who Is Alexander Chayko? Chayko was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in May 2026. According to Ukrainian law enforcement and the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, Chayko commanded a Russian force advancing on Kyiv from the west in 2022, reportedly setting up his headquarters in a seized kindergarten in Zdvyzhivka, in the Bucha district, while directing combat operations in the Kyiv region. Chayko is being tried in absentia in Ukraine for alleged war crimes, with investigators saying he ordered airstrikes on residential buildings in Borodianka and other Kyiv-region settlements.
Part of a Pattern of Attacks Inside Russian The suspected strike fits a broader pattern of operations attributed to Ukrainian intelligence and security services reaching deep into Russian territory since 2022. Analysts have noted it could intensify security concerns ahead of Russia’s State Duma elections in September.Following the explosion, police and Russia’s National Guard cordoned off the area around the restaurant, and Moscow authorities postponed a planned nighttime bike festival scheduled for that evening.
