U.S. Embassy in Moscow Warns of Possible Mass Casualty Attack at Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve

The United States Embassy in Moscow issued an urgent security alert on Saturday, 31 October, warning of a credible threat of a mass casualty event the same day at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in the Russian capital. The warning matters because comparable U.S. information passed to Russia before a deadly attack in 2024 did not prevent it.

What the warning says

The embassy said the threat concerns the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve at Dolskaya Ulitsa 1. It added that the U.S. government is coordinating a response with the relevant Russian authorities. People were urged to avoid the area and take steps to ensure their personal safety.

Russian response

Later on Saturday, state media reported that Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had received information from the United States about a potential terrorist attack. The FSB told state media it had received information from U.S. partners about plans for an attack in Moscow and was taking appropriate action.

Reference to 2024

In 2024, the United States warned Moscow of an impending terrorist threat before the 22 March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, which killed 145 people and wounded hundreds more. Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin said at the time that the information was too general. He said the FSB had received information from U.S. intelligence that such an attack was possible, but that it did not allow those responsible to be fully identified.

The source does not say who may be behind the new threat or whether the attack has been prevented.