The Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, the site of an explosion on the evening of August 1, has apologized for a since-deleted Instagram post that said "everything is fine" with the establishment, and pledged to support the families of those killed.
"The restaurant has decided to provide assistance to the families of the deceased. In the near future, we will contact their loved ones to provide the necessary support," the establishment said in a statement.
Immediately after the blast, as reports began circulating on social media and Telegram channels, the restaurant posted: "We thank everyone for their words of support and your concern. Everything is fine with our restaurant Balzi Rossi." That post has now been removed.
The restaurant said it deleted the publication because "in the current situation it is extremely inappropriate," and offered apologies. "We have taken the necessary measures to ensure that such a situation does not happen again," Balzi Rossi added.
The National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said the explosion was caused by an improvised device that a woman had intended to bring into the restaurant. She was killed in the blast, along with a security guard who tried to stop her and one of the patrons. According to the NAC, three people died and 20 were injured. REN TV reported that two more people died in hospital.
According to Telegram channels, the target of the attack was Alexander Chaiko, commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who was celebrating his birthday at the restaurant. This information has not been officially confirmed.
Propagandist Margarita Simonyan said she would posthumously award the security guard killed in the explosion a prize named after her late husband Tigran Keosayan. The prize amount is one million rubles. According to Simonyan, the prize is intended for people who sacrifice themselves for others.
Sources differ: the NAC reports three dead and 20 injured, while REN TV reports two additional deaths in hospital. The identity of the dead security guard is described differently by various outlets: Kommersant writes that he was a "silovik," while the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU says he was an employee of the Federal Protective Service (FSO).