At least three people have been killed and 21 injured after a woman brought a homemade bomb near a central Moscow restaurant, according to Russian officials.
The explosion, which occurred at around 7:55pm local time (5:55pm BST), occurred near an upscale Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow's seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinkskaya Square, police said.
Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee said that an unidentified woman had tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, Russian news agencies reported.
Among the dead were the security guard, the unnamed woman, and another visitor, the committee added.
The Kommersant daily newspaper cited sources as saying that the bomb had been intended to maim and kill guests who were enjoying themselves on the restaurant's summer terrace outside.
The restaurant's website said the venue had been closed on Saturday for a private event, but it is unclear who was present.
There is not yet any suggestion that the explosion is linked to the war in Ukraine.
It came after Kyiv struck three Russian oil refineries nearly 1,600 kilometres beyond enemy lines, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
What we know about Russia's missile salvo that killed nine people
At least nine people were killed and 30 others injured after Russia launched another barrage of ballistic missiles on Kyiv yesterday.
The attack marked the second large-scale Russian strike in just 48 hours.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) said rescue operations were ongoing, with a total of 105 people rescued from damaged buildings.
Fires broke out, while residential buildings and industrial sites were damaged across at least five districts of the city.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 18 residential buildings, a school, the Lithuanian embassy and critical infrastructure were among the sites damaged in the attacks.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia fired a total of 35 missiles, including 27 ballistic missiles, as well as 85 Shahed-type drones overnight.
Only two missiles were intercepted, while 154 drones were shot down.
"Only one ballistic missile was shot down tonight simply because there are no missiles for the Patriots," Zelensky said.
"And it is precisely this shortage of interceptors against ballistic missiles that only encourages Russia to launch such strikes against life."
Crimean families queue for hot meals as Ukraine hits power supply
Residents in the Russian-occupied Crimean town of Massandra queued for free hot meals as prolonged power outages caused by Ukrainian strikes left many unable to cook at home.
Cities and towns across Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, have had to cope with limited fuel supplies for much of the summer amid Ukrainian attacks on power plants and other infrastructure.
Ukraine, whose own cities have been under repeated attack since Moscow sent thousands of troops into the country in 2022, says it is "bringing the war back home to Russia" by intensifying strikes deep inside the country and on territory its neighbour controls.
Standing beside boiling vats of buckwheat, later to be added to plates of reheated tinned beef, Massandra town administration head Oksana Madyud said her workers were serving roughly 200 people per day.
"We're preparing hot meals for people, as under the current circumstances not everyone has the means to cook hot food on electric hobs," she said.
One local woman, Marina, said pain in her leg was making the climb down from her 10th-floor apartment difficult, but the lack of electricity had sent her hunting for a gas cooker and some cylinders.
"There's nothing up there," she said, referring to her apartment.
"We've got an electric cooker - that's it."Another older resident, Alexandra, said she had been lured down by the smell of the lunch after going without electricity for 10 days.
"They turned it back on today, at 4 o'clock" in the afternoon, but she wasn't sure the lights would still be on when she returned home, she added.
'Ukrainian drones' sink Rosatom vessel in Black Sea
Two Ukrainian drones hit and sank a civilian vessel owned by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom sailing in the Black Sea overnight on Friday, the company's head, Alexei Likhachev, said in a statement on Saturday.
All 17 crew members survived the attack on the ship, which was transporting goods such as frozen food and construction materials, Likhachev added.
"Such an attack can only be described as piracy and maritime robbery," he said.
Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks in recent weeks on ships that they say are aiding the other side's war effort.
Watch: Trump says he wants Zelensky and Putin to end Ukraine war
Zelensky says latest attacks show Ukraine's need for Patriot missiles
President Volodymyr Zelensky has pressed the US and other Western partners regarding Ukraine’s need for more Patriot anti-ballistic missile defence systems to counter aerial attacks from Russia.
“Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties,” he wrote on X following the latest attacks.
The Ukrainian leader late Friday said he spoke to US vice president JD Vance and discussed a meeting with president Donald Trump earlier this week in Washington, which Zelensky described as “positive and productive.”
“The Russian air strikes on our country continue and air defence, specifically interceptors for Patriot systems against ballistic missiles, remains a top priority,” Zelensky said on Friday in a post on Telegram.
Moscow bomb aimed to maim and kill guests of well-guarded party in upscale Italian restaurant - report
The Kommersant daily newspaper has cited sources as saying that the bomb had been intended to maim and kill guests who were enjoying themselves on the upscale Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant's summer terrace outside.
The restaurant's website said the venue had been closed on Saturday for a private event, but it is unclear who was present.
The party, the paper reported, was heavily guarded, which helped prevent casualties.
Kommersant added that preliminary reports suggest the courier likely didn’t know what the contents of the package were.
The newspaper reported that the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee is investigating the incident as a terrorism crime.
Latest pictures from the scene of the explosion in Moscow
Russia strikes fuel storage in Ukrainian port of Odesa
Russian forces carried out strikes on fuel storage tanks in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Defence Ministry.
The strikes hit a marine tugboat repurposed for use by the Ukrainian army in the port of Mykolaiv.
The Independent could not verify the battlefield reports.
Queue for hot meals in Crimea as Ukraine inflicts damage onto power supply
Under a blazing summer sun, a chef poured oil into huge pots set up on a street in the Crimean town of Massandra, preparing to serve dozens of people queuing for a hot meal after Ukrainian attacks cut power to their own kitchens.
Cities and towns across Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, have had to cope with limited fuel supplies for much of the summer amid Ukrainian attacks on power plants and other infrastructure.
Ukraine, whose own cities have been under repeated attack since Moscow sent thousands of troops into the country in 2022, says it is "bringing the war back home to Russia" by intensifying strikes deep inside the country and on territory its neighbour controls.
Standing beside boiling vats of buckwheat, later to be added to plates of reheated tinned beef, Massandra town administration head Oksana Madyud said her workers were serving roughly 200 people per day.
"We're preparng hot meals for people, as under the current circumstances not everyone has the means to cook hot food on electric hobs," she said.
One local woman, Marina, said pain in her leg was making the climb down from her 10th-floor apartment difficult, but the lack of electricity had sent her hunting for a gas cooker and some cylinders.
"There's nothing up there," she said, referring to her apartment. "We've got an electric cooker - that's it."
With Reuters.