In a dramatic turn of events, a former Ukrainian submarine commander who had defected to Russia met a violent end on Thursday. According to officials, his demise came at the hands of a Russian woman who, acting on directives from Kyiv, used a bomb concealed within a trash bin to execute the attack.
The woman, aged 32, remains unnamed but is accused of plotting the assassination under the guidance of Ukraine’s intelligence network, targeting Robert Shageev, a significant figure within the Kremlin’s Black Sea Fleet, as per statements from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Shageev, originally a Ukrainian deserter who sided with Russia post-Crimea annexation in 2014, was caught off guard while strolling in Sevastopol. It was around 10 a.m. when the explosion from a nearby trash bin disrupted the morning calm, as reported by both Ukrainian and Russian media outlets.
The explosion’s intensity was such that it initially alarmed local residents, mistakenly leading them to believe it was another drone attack, akin to those frequently tormenting Russian troops in the region. This detail was highlighted by Russian Telegram channels with ties to security forces.
In a swift response, authorities apprehended the suspect, who, according to Russian claims, has admitted to orchestrating Shageev’s assassination.
“Investigators established that she acted on instructions from Ukrainian special services and showed no remorse,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor of Sevastopol, said in a statement.
Shageev was wanted by Ukraine for high treason over his actions as the acting commander of the Ukrainian vessel Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv’s only submarine during the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea.
During the invasion, Shageev hailed that his unit would hold out until the end, only for the commander to give up the submarine and defect to the Russian military.
Shageev has been previously accused of serving in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with his fleet allegedly among those that fired submarine-launched missile attacks during the war.
Ukraine has been previously accused of carrying out assassinations in Russia and abroad against Moscow officials and defectors.
The attack that killed Shageev coincided with a seperate incident in Sevastopol overnight that saw five Russian emergency service workers killed as they tried to dispose of a Ukrainian bomb, Razvozhayev said.
“Our guys were inspecting the area after a Ukrainian attack. An enemy munition detonated,” he added.