An apparent parcel bomb explosion at an upscale Moscow restaurant has reportedly targeted Lieutenant General Alexander Tschajko during celebrations marking his 55th birthday, in what would represent the latest in a series of attacks against senior Russian military figures since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. While multiple Russian military bloggers and independent media outlets have identified Tschajko as the intended target, the Kremlin and Russia’s Ministry of Defence have declined to confirm the reports, leaving key questions surrounding the incident officially unanswered as the conflict’s reach continues to extend far beyond the battlefield.
A suspected assassination attempt inside one of Moscow’s prestigious restaurants has intensified scrutiny over the security of Russia’s senior military leadership, even as official silence from the Kremlin leaves the circumstances surrounding the incident unresolved.
The reported attack occurred during what was said to be a birthday celebration for Lieutenant General Alexander Tschajko at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow. According to reports circulating on Russian and Ukrainian media channels, a parcel bomb exploded during the event, prompting immediate speculation that the senior military commander had been the intended target.
The first public indication of the alleged target came from Anatolij Scharij, a Ukrainian blogger criticised in his homeland for his pro-Russian positions. Scharij published a video that purportedly showed preparations for the celebration inside the restaurant. Visible behind a small stage were the name “Alexander” and the number “55”, details that appeared to correspond with Tschajko, who had turned 55 on the Monday preceding the attack.
Several Russian military bloggers, along with independent media outlets, subsequently concluded that Tschajko had indeed been the intended victim of what they described as a Ukrainian assassination attempt. However, despite the widespread reporting, no official confirmation has followed. Neither Russia’s Ministry of Defence nor the Kremlin has commented publicly on the case, maintaining silence over reports that have generated significant discussion across Russian media and online military circles.
The only official Russian response came from the Russian Embassy in Italy, whose statement focused on the nationality of the head chef at Balzi Rossi, reportedly originating from Naples. In its statement, the embassy declared: “Die blutigen Tentakel der Terrorbande um Selenskyj haben nun auch das italienische Restaurant Balzi Rossi in Moskau erreicht.” It further claimed that only the vigilance and selfless sense of duty of an employee of the Russian security service had ensured that head chef K. Alfieri and other members of the restaurant staff escaped unharmed.
Should Tschajko ultimately be confirmed as the intended target, the incident would mark at least the fifth reported attack on a senior Russian military officer inside Russia since the beginning of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The sequence of attacks has unfolded over more than a year. In December 2024, Igor Kirillow, commander of Russia’s troops responsible for protection against radiological, chemical and biological threats, was killed in Moscow when an explosive device concealed inside an electric scooter detonated. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) publicly claimed responsibility for the attack on Kirillow, although it remained silent regarding subsequent incidents.
In April 2025, Lieutenant General Jaroslaw Moskalik was killed in Balaschicha, in the Moscow region, by a car bomb. Later that same year, in December, another explosive device detonated beside the white Kia belonging to Lieutenant General Fanil Sarwarow in southern Moscow. Sarwarow, who had headed the operational training department within the Russian General Staff, was killed in the explosion.
The series continued into 2026. In February, General Wladimir Aleksejew, deputy chief of Russian military intelligence, sustained serious gunshot wounds in Moscow in another apparent attack against a senior military figure.
Observers have noted that the reported attempt on Tschajko differs in execution from the vehicle bombings and shootings that preceded it, instead resembling the 2023 assassination of nationalist blogger Wladlen Tatarski in St Petersburg. In that attack, a young Russian woman had been persuaded to present Tatarski with a decorative bust during a public appearance at a restaurant. Hidden inside the seemingly complimentary gift was an explosive device that killed the blogger.
The Ukrainian Security Service has made no public statement regarding the reported attack on Tschajko. Nevertheless, its long-standing position regarding the Russian general has been publicly documented for several years. The SBU considers Tschajko a war criminal and has conducted investigations into his actions since the opening months of the war in 2022.
According to the Ukrainian agency, Tschajko, then commander of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation, planned and directed the assault on northern Ukraine during the initial advance towards Kyiv. The SBU has also accused him of ordering the bombardment of residential buildings in Borodjanka near Kyiv during the spring of 2022, an attack in which more than 30 residents were reported to have died.
The allegations have expanded over time. In July 2025, the SBU released what it described as an intercepted recording in which a voice identified as Tschajko allegedly ordered that the village of Teteriwske, north of Kyiv, be “dem Erdboden gleichzumachen”. According to the agency, heavy bombs and multiple rocket launchers were used during the assault on Teteriwske in 2022, mirroring the attacks previously described in Borodjanka.
Only a month before the reported restaurant bombing, the SBU added another accusation to its case against Tschajko, alleging responsibility for the shelling of the town of Korosten in March 2022, where citizens of neighbouring Belarus were also reported to have been killed.
In a press release, the SBU stated that Tschajko and another suspect had been notified of the investigation “in Abwesenheit”. The agency added that “umfassende Maßnahmen ergriffen” würden, “um die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen”.
While official authorities remained largely silent following the reported bombing, the incident provoked sharp reactions among pro-Russian military bloggers. Rather than focusing solely on the apparent assassination attempt, several commentators criticised what they viewed as the senior commander’s lavish lifestyle during wartime.
“One of them wrote: ‘Nur in unserem Land werden jeden Tag Menschen bombardiert und wichtige Einrichtungen zerstört, und dieser verdammte General feiert seinen Geburtstag für neun Millionen Rubel.’” Another argued that the commander should have concentrated on the war and victory over what were described as terrorists rather than spending time in expensive restaurants where a bowl of soup reportedly cost 6,000 roubles.
As competing narratives continue to emerge, the absence of confirmation from Russia’s highest authorities has left the reported attack surrounded by uncertainty. Yet if the available reports are ultimately substantiated, the incident would further underscore an increasingly visible pattern in which senior Russian military figures have become targets inside Russia itself, extending the conflict’s consequences far beyond the front lines while highlighting the continuing intensity of the war’s shadow campaign.
