Moscow Cafe Blast: Investigative Committee Detains Kasabella Director After Fatal Explosion

Russian investigators detained Surena Mkrtchyan, general director of LLC Kasabella, which operated the summer cafe where a gas-cylinder explosion killed three and injured dozens on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow on August 1, 2026. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 109 — causing death by negligence — signaling investigators treat the blast as a safety failure, not an attack.