The attackers' forcible entry into the building was caught on camera (18+ for language and violence)
Khachapuri, a Georgian restaurant near Paveletsky Station, was seized by a group of militants on Thursday night.
"Tonight, 50 armed men broke into the cafe and threw us out. Unfortunately, this is not a joke ... Lunch and dinner will not be be served," the restaurant said on their Facebook page.
The militants stormed into the building with guns and barricaded themselves inside to await orders from the building's owner, a statement on the restaurant's website says.
A Youtube video shot from inside the establishment shows a group of indeterminate size forcing their way into the cafe and fighting with security, though no weapons are visible.
Co-owner Tatyana Melnikova told Forbes that one of the security guards had been injured in the attack and was hospitalized.
The restaurant website explains that the owners of the restaurant have been fighting with the owner of the building, who they accuse of extorting higher rents and shutting off the restaurant's water and electricity.
The building belongs to the family of Vitaly Artyukhov, the former Minister of Natural Resources who the restauranteurs say is a friend of acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
A sheep named Tolik, who children at the restaurant play with, was taken hostage.
Opposition blogger and mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny brought attention to the attack on Twitter, saying that the cafe was one of his favorites.
Artyukhov has not commented on the matter.
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