Russian military officer killed in Sevastopol street bombing, woman arrested on suspicion of acting for Ukrainian services

A Russian military officer was killed in a bombing on a street in Sevastopol, the largest city in Russian-annexed Crimea, on Thursday, according to regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev and the Federal Security Service (FSB). A Russian woman was arrested in connection with the attack, with authorities alleging she acted on behalf of Ukrainian special services.

According to The Moscow Times, citing the news outlet Ostorozhno Novosti, the explosion occurred around 10 a.m. local time in western Sevastopol, home port of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. An explosive device was reportedly placed in a trash can and detonated as the officer walked past.

The FSB confirmed the death of a Russian Defense Ministry serviceman but did not disclose his identity, according to The Moscow Times. The arrested suspect was identified by the FSB as a 32-year-old Russian woman, per The Moscow Times, while The Straits Times noted TASS confirmed she was a Russian national.

Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor, stated that the woman 'acted on instructions from Ukrainian special services and showed no remorse,' according to The Moscow Times. Neither source reported an immediate response from Ukraine.

The Moscow Times reported, without being able to independently verify the details, that unverified Telegram channels with links to Russian security services identified the victim as Captain First Rank Robert Shageyev — a figure who allegedly commanded the Ukrainian Navy's only submarine before defecting to Russia during the 2014 annexation of Crimea and later served as deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine brigade.

According to The Moscow Times, unverified reporting by Ostorozhno Novosti identified the arrested woman as Margarita Reutt, a Sochi resident who reportedly volunteered to clean beaches in Anapa and ran her own business. The same outlet had previously reported she was fined in August 2025 for 'discrediting' the Russian military over remarks made on a train.

Separately, both sources reported that Razvozhayev announced five people were killed in Sevastopol overnight during an operation to dispose of an explosive device, though this appears to be a distinct incident from the street bombing.

The Straits Times noted that Russia has previously attributed a series of assassinations of senior military officials and individuals connected to its war effort to Ukraine.

• The identity of the killed officer has not been officially confirmed by any Russian authority.
• The identity of the arrested woman has not been officially confirmed; names reported by Ostorozhno Novosti and Telegram channels remain unverified.
• Ukraine's position on or involvement in the incident has not been established.
• The nature and outcome of the separate overnight disposal operation that killed five people is not detailed beyond Razvozhayev's statement.
• No independent verification of the FSB's account of how the explosive device was placed or detonated has been reported.
• The legal status or charges formally brought against the arrested woman are not specified in either source.

1. The Moscow Times — original — by The Moscow Times
2. The Straits Times — by The Straits Times

Read the original at The Moscow Times

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