An explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow on August 1 killed five people and injured 21, according to official Russian data. Who the attack targeted remains unknown, but a range of indirect evidence points to a birthday celebration for Alexander Chaiko, commander-in-chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces, who turned 55 on July 27. RFE/RL's investigative project "System" said it had uncovered new details about the incident.
In Ukraine, Chaiko is accused of war crimes in Bucha and of bombing civilian sites in the Kyiv region in spring 2022, in his former role as commander of the Eastern Military District's forces. Ukraine has not officially commented on the Moscow explosion.
The blast happened on the evening of August 1 at the Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi, located in a high-rise on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a courier had tried to carry an explosive device equivalent to one kilogram of TNT into the building.
According to official statements and the newspaper Kommersant, those killed at the scene included the female courier who delivered the bomb, a security guard who had detained her, and one of the restaurant's guests. Izvestia reported that two more people later died of their injuries in hospital.
Chaiko's family among the injured
It later emerged that Chaiko's 27-year-old son-in-law, Danylo Peredriy, may have died in the blast. The outlet Agentstvo noted that a company owned by Peredriy ceased operating on August 1 "due to the death of the owner." A partial victim list published by the channel Ren TV named a 27-year-old "Danylo P.," supporting that account. A source for the outlet Verstka identified Peredriy in video published by the channel 112 shortly after the explosion, though other information suggests the man in the footage could instead be Danylo's father.
Chaiko's 25-year-old daughter, Maria Chaiko, may also have been hurt. The same victim list noted that a "Maria P." had suffered an open head injury. Maria and Peredriy married in June 2025 at Villa Rotonda, described as a "snow-white palace" in the gated community of Dovil near Odintsovo.
Verstka, citing an analysis of victim lists and leaked databases, suggested that Yevdokia Kirilova, a niece of Chaiko's wife, may have been injured as well. Astra, reporting details of Maria Chaiko's condition, said Galina Pliskina, the sister of Chaiko's wife, was also hurt; both women were taken to Moscow's Hospital No. 1, named after Pirogov.
A video published by blogger Anatoliy Shariy, which he said showed preparations for the event at Balzi Rossi, appeared to back the birthday theory: the stage backdrop reportedly read "Alexander 55," matching Chaiko's age.
Generals buried the same week
The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that Major General Valeriy Plokhotnyuk was buried at Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow on August 5. The outlet Meduza confirmed through state registries that Plokhotnyuk had died on August 1, the day of the explosion.
Plokhotnyuk had headed the operational group of Russian forces in Transnistria and received the rank of major general in 2021. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he was chief of staff of the 49th Combined Arms Army, whose units fought in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia directions. Leaked data show Chaiko and Plokhotnyuk shared an address in Naro-Fominsk, and Agentstvo reported that Plokhotnyuk's wife had stayed in touch with Chaiko's wife and daughter.
On August 5, Ukrainian OSINT blogger Necro Mancer said a farewell ceremony had been held on August 4 in Moscow's Solntsevo district for Lieutenant General Igor Yerusalimov, citing a post in a local Telegram channel that mentioned his death and a home address matching leaked records for Yerusalimov.
VChK-OGPU initially suggested that Yerusalimov, described as a "friend of Chaiko," was the officer buried at Troyekurovskoye cemetery on August 5, but later posted that one of two graves prepared there was for Plokhotnyuk and the other for Chaiko's son-in-law, Peredriy. That claim has not been independently confirmed.
On August 6, a Verstka journalist reached a phone number belonging to Yerusalimov. The man who answered would not comment on the general's reported death but responded when addressed by Yerusalimov's name and patronymic. Verstka also said it doubted the authenticity of an account that had sent a message about the farewell on behalf of Yerusalimov's daughter. "System" said it emailed Yerusalimov's personal address and had received no reply by the time of publication.
A shared military history
"System" said Chaiko and Yerusalimov may have known each other through their service. In 2008, Yerusalimov appeared in a Channel One segment as head of the operational directorate at the staff of the 22nd Combined Arms Army. A year later, during a reform, the 22nd Army was merged with the 20th Combined Arms Army, headquartered in Voronezh. Leaked data show Yerusalimov lived in Voronezh from at least 2009 to 2015 and listed his workplace as military unit 89425, which corresponds to the command of the 20th Army.
Chaiko was appointed chief of staff of the 20th Army in June 2013 and became its commander in April 2014. At the end of that year, the 1st Tank Army was recreated out of the 20th Army's units, and Chaiko took command of it. Yerusalimov also left Voronezh around that time, moving to Moscow for posts first on the staff of the Western Military District and then the Moscow Military District. He was promoted to lieutenant general in May 2025.
"System" also noted that Yerusalimov's father, Felix Yerusalimov, headed the political department of the 11th Tank Division in the 1980s, part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, headquartered in Dresden. Chaiko's father, Yuriy Chaiko, also served with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, though "System" said it could not establish whether the two men knew each other.
On a forum for former members of the 11th Tank Division, RFE/RL found a group photograph showing Felix Yerusalimov alongside a young Vladimir Putin, described by whoever posted it as "Captain Putin V.V., who had just arrived in Dresden." Forum comments date the photo to May 9, 1985, when Putin was accompanying a delegation of generals visiting the division's headquarters.
Who owns the restaurant
Pro-Kremlin Russian media initially reported that the explosion resulted from a gas equipment malfunction. The restaurant's own social media accounts posted that Balzi Rossi had temporarily suspended operations. On the day of the blast, the same account said "everything is fine with the restaurant," though the post was later deleted.
Balzi Rossi is 99% owned by Maksym Kuznetsov, who holds 100% of the company Fonkor LLC through the joint-stock company Klir Tsentr. Fonkor's website is registered to the major bookmaker Fonbet, which the company also owns. In 2022, when Fonkor was still called Pin-up.ru, it was bought by Alexander Udodov, a former son-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Thirteen days after that deal, full ownership of Fonkor passed to Klir Tsentr and Kuznetsov.
Who is Alexander Chaiko
Putin appointed Colonel General Alexander Chaiko as commander-in-chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces in May 2026. Before that, Chaiko had spent nearly a year as deputy chief of the General Staff, and earlier commanded Russian forces in Syria.
Chaiko's role in the Syrian campaign led Britain to place him under sanctions. UK authorities say he was involved in the repression of civilians under Bashar al-Assad's government and hold him responsible for strikes on hospitals and schools in Idlib that killed about 1,600 civilians. Putin awarded Chaiko the title Hero of Russia for his command of forces in Syria.
In 2022, Chaiko was temporarily pulled from Syria to take part in Russia's offensive in Ukraine. In March of that year, as Russian soldiers killed people in the streets of Bucha, Chaiko, according to The Times, led the Russian army at the start of the invasion and was the highest-ranking officer on the territory of Ukraine.
