It was reportedly a woman who brought and detonated an improvised explosive device in a restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow, killing two other people in addition to the suspected attacker. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee’s Information Center told TASS that “at 19:55 Moscow time, an improvised explosive device exploded in a restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, killing three people: a security guard who had prevented an unknown woman, suspected of attempting to bring an explosive device into the premises, from entering, the woman herself, and one of the patrons.” Twenty-one other people were injured.

A general’s birthday party at the venue

A general was reportedly present at the Moscow venue to celebrate his birthday. This was reported by Russian journalist Oleg Kashin and relayed by Ukrainian media, which say the event was the birthday party of General Aleksandr Chaiko, commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Independent Russian outlets Baza and Astra, cited by Ukrainska Pravda, wrote that the venue had been closed for a private event. An eyewitness described a general’s birthday party at the restaurant and noted that many cars with black license plates — typically used by the armed forces and security agencies — were parked nearby.