The Russian Embassy in Italy claimed Monday that Ukraine was behind the bombing at the 'Belzi Russi' Italian restaurant in Moscow, which it said killed five people and wounded 19. The embassy's statement compared the attack to terrorism by al-Qaeda and ISIS. A note accompanying the statement added that the attack was aimed at Russian General Alexander Chikov, and that several of his relatives were among the casualties.
The Russian Embassy in Italy on Monday directly accused Ukraine of orchestrating the bombing at the 'Belzi Russi' Italian restaurant in Moscow, claiming five people were killed and 19 wounded. The embassy described the perpetrators as a 'terrorist gang' led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and drew comparisons to al-Qaeda and ISIS. A note accompanying the statement identified the intended target as Russian General Alexander Chikov and said several of his relatives were among the casualties, though it did not specify which relatives.
The bombing occurred on Saturday evening at around 20:00 local time. As The Zioneer reported that evening, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed that an improvised explosive device detonated near the restaurant entrance, killing three people and wounding at least 21. The committee said a woman carrying the device was blocked by a security guard, causing the explosion; the woman, the guard, and a customer were killed. Later reports from the same evening identified the target as the commander of Russia's Space Forces, who was celebrating his birthday at the venue. The embassy's Monday statement provides a higher casualty figure and a different name for the intended target—General Alexander Chikov—while the earlier reports had named the Space Forces commander Alexander Chayko.
The embassy's accusation comes amid a broader pattern of Ukrainian deep-strike operations against Russian targets, including a massive drone attack on Moscow on June 18 (as The Zioneer reported) and multiple other strikes on Russian infrastructure. The claim of Ukrainian involvement has not been independently verified.
It remains unclear whether the embassy's casualty figure of five killed reflects updated information from Russian authorities or a different count. The discrepancy between the target named in the embassy note (General Chikov) and the earlier reports (Space Forces commander Chayko) has not been resolved. The embassy's assertion that the attack was intended to intimidate Italians working in Russia also remains unsubstantiated.
13 developments
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