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An explosion near an upscale Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening killed three people, including a security guard and a customer, and injured at least 21 others. The blast occurred shortly before 8 p.m. local time, close to the Balzi Rossi restaurant, located near one of Moscow's iconic Stalin-era skyscrapers on Kudrinskaya Square.

According to Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee, the incident began when an unidentified woman attempted to enter the restaurant but was intercepted by a security guard. The state RIA news agency reported that the subsequent explosion killed the woman, the guard, and a customer. The injured sustained wounds of varying severity, police confirmed.

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An unidentified woman had tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard.

Law enforcement officers cordoned off the area, and RIA released footage showing heavily armed personnel at the scene. As of Saturday evening, authorities had not released the names of those killed or injured, nor had they indicated who might be responsible for the attack. The Kommersant daily newspaper, citing its own sources, suggested the bomb was intended to harm guests on the restaurant's summer terrace and may have been detonated remotely, with the woman carrying it possibly unaware it was an explosive device. The restaurant's website indicated it was closed for a private event on Saturday.

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the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant had been killed in the blast that followed.