A 32-year-old woman has been arrested in Sevastopol on suspicion of carrying out the bombing that killed former Ukrainian submarine commander Robert Shageev, who had defected to the Russian side after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine had declared him wanted for high treason since 2022.
According to international media reports, Margarita Reut is suspected of acting on behalf of Ukrainian special services. Russian authorities claim that she placed an explosive device in a bin next to a bench as Shageev was descending stairs in an area of Sevastopol. The explosion caused him fatal injuries.
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev did not initially identify the victim, but described the incident as “a cynical crime against an officer.” He said investigators had concluded that the suspect had acted on orders from Ukrainian special services and had shown no remorse. Reut, a Russian citizen born in Yaroslavl, had previously lived in Sochi and, according to Russian reports, had frequently traveled to Crimea. Media reports said she had also worked as a biologist in a laboratory.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Mash, which is allegedly linked to the security services, during interrogation Reut allegedly said that she was paid in cryptocurrency for carrying out the attack and that she planned to leave the country. According to the same source, when asked if she regretted the murder, she replied “no.” These are claims by Russian authorities and media and have not been independently verified.
Shageev was the commander of the Ukrainian submarine “Zaporizhzhia” when it crossed over to the Russian side during the annexation of Crimea in 2014. He subsequently served in the structures of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and in leadership positions in the submarine fleet. The State Investigation Bureau of Ukraine officially declared him a suspect in high treason in 2022, accusing him of participating in the war against Ukraine.
The Zaporizhzhia submarine, a Project 641 diesel-electric vessel, was the only submarine in the Ukrainian Navy before it fell under Russian control in March 2014. The attack in Sevastopol comes at a time when there have been several reported attacks on people linked to the Russian military and security apparatus.
On August 5, Vladimir Tkachuk, the founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, was seriously injured near Yekaterinburg by a vehicle bomb. His bodyguard was killed.
Meanwhile, on August 1, an explosion at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in central Moscow left five people dead. Reports suggest the attack may have targeted a senior Russian military official, although Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed the identities of the victims or the target of the attack.
Sevastopol is located in Crimea, the peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The city has been used by Moscow as a major military base during the war, while Ukraine has repeatedly hit it with attacks on Russian military targets.
