Details: Russian general was the target of the Moscow bombing

 

Petter J Larsson 

 

Published 22:13

A Russian general was the target of the explosion in Moscow, according to a source.

Alexander Chajko is said to have celebrated his 55th birthday at the restaurant where three were killed and 21 injured.

The air force chief is said to have escaped unharmed.

Three people were killed and 21 injured when a bomb exploded outside the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in central Moscow.

Russian authorities have described the attack as a terrorist attack but have not made public who the intended target was.

Now the Ukrainian Kyiv Independent reports, citing a source with insight, that the Russian air force chief Alexander Chajko was the person to be killed. He was appointed to the post by Vladimir Putin in May last year.

According to the source, the attack was the third attempted attack in a short period of time against people with connections to the Russian military or defense industry.

The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, which is known for publishing leaks from Russia's security service, states that Alexander Chajko escaped unharmed, writes The Guardian.

However, his daughter Maria was reportedly seriously injured and her husband Daniil Peredrij was killed in the explosion on the restaurant's outdoor terrace.

May have celebrated a birthday

After the attack, pictures were circulated from the restaurant where the text "Alexander 55" was visible on the stage. According to independent Russian media, Chajko had celebrated his 55th birthday at the restaurant, writes The Guardian. Chajko's birthday was on July 27.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Service states that the attack was carried out by a woman. She allegedly tried to enter the premises with a "homemade bomb". The bomb was then detonated when a security guard tried to stop her.

The Russian state news agency Tass reports that the woman, the security guard and a guest died in the attack.

According to information to Kommersant, one of Russia's leading business and news newspapers, the woman allegedly told the guards that she had a gift with her.

Linked to assassination attempt

Three days before the explosion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj stated that Ukrainian brigade commander Ihor Obolenskyj had survived a Russian assassination attempt in Kharkiv.

According to Ukrainian authorities, a 69-year-old man was recruited by Russian intelligence to shoot the commander. However, the weapon reportedly clicked when the attack was to be carried out and the man was arrested.

Afterwards, Zelenskyj wrote on X:

- We will definitely respond to this attempt to strike Ukraine and the Ukrainian commander.

Kyiv Independent's source says that it cannot be ruled out that the attempted assassination of Obolenskyj and the explosion in Moscow are connected. However, no such connection has been confirmed.