An explosion near a cafe on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow killed at least three people and injured 15 others on the evening of Aug. 1, Russian authorities said, as police and emergency crews sealed off one of the capital’s busiest districts.
Russia’s Interior Ministry said the blast occurred at approximately 8:10 p.m. local time near Building 1 on Kudrinskaya Square, in a statement carried on the social platform Max. Moscow police told state news agency Ria Novosti that the explosion caused “three deaths and 15 injured, of varying degrees of seriousness,” and that the wounded were receiving medical care.
Firefighters, police and ambulance crews were deployed to the scene, and Russian media reported that traffic around the square had been temporarily blocked and entrances to the Barrikadnaya metro station closed. Emergency workers remained on site for hours as investigators combed the area for evidence.
Authorities have not yet said what triggered the blast, and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. No group had claimed responsibility as of late Saturday, and Russian officials gave no immediate public statement linking the explosion to the war in Ukraine.
The explosion is the latest in a series of incidents inside Russia during the conflict. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly struck targets deep inside Russian territory this year, including oil refineries, warehouses and logistics hubs, while Moscow has also seen fires and explosions at industrial sites that officials have attributed to drone attacks or accidents.
Kudrinskaya Square lies in the Presnensky District of central Moscow, roughly a kilometer from the Kremlin, in an area dense with residential towers, offices and restaurants. The neighborhood is a popular evening destination, and the blast drew large crowds of onlookers before police cordons were set up.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials have urged residents to rely on official statements rather than unverified social media footage circulating after the blast.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Kyiv Independent, Reuters
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