Daughter of Russian general may have been injured in Moscow restaurant explosion – media

Maria Chayko, daughter of Russian General Alexander Chayko, may have been injured in an explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in central Moscow, according to Russian news outlet Verstka.

Source: Verstka, a Russian media outlet

Details: A source close to the restaurant's management told Verstka that Chayko was among those injured in the explosion.

Details: Lists of those injured in the attack which were published by REN TV and 112 – Telegram channels linked to the Russian security services – include one "Maria P.", 25. She reportedly sustained an open traumatic brain injury.

Verstka found that Maria Chayko, who is also 25, appears in leaked databases under the surname Peredriy. The entries for Chayko and Peredriy contain the same date of birth and address. Phone directories identify her as "fiancée" and "Maria Chayko".

Peredriy is likely the surname of the general's son-in-law. The list of those injured also names a 27-year-old identified as "Danylo P.". According to leaked databases, he is likely Danylo Peredriy, who is also 27. One of Maria Chayko's accounts is among his friends on VK, a Russian social media platform.

Verstka also reports, citing the latest information, that five people were killed and 21 injured in the explosion.

Previously: An explosion occurred at the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow on the evening of 1 August. Official reports said three people had been killed and 15 injured.

Media reports indicate that two people injured in the explosion had died in hospital on 2 August.

Several Russian media outlets and Telegram channels speculated that a private celebration marking the 55th birthday of Aleksandr Chayko, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was taking place at the site of the explosion.

Background:

• On 4 May 2026, Russian leader Vladimir Putin appointed Alexander Chayko as commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
• In March, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on nine individuals accused of war crimes during Russia's occupation of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast.
• Chayko, former commander of Russia's Eastern Military District, was added to the sanctions list. He was the most senior Russian military officer on the ground in Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and led Russian forces when they entered Bucha.
• In September, the Security Service of Ukraine submitted an indictment against Chayko to court. According to investigators, Chayko was directly involved in planning and preparing the invasion of Ukraine's north at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

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