A woman described by friends as 'ordinary' has been accused of planting a bomb in Sevastopol that killed a senior Russian naval commander who had defected from Ukraine, according to the Guardian.
Key facts
- A bomb detonated in a residential square in Russian-occupied Sevastopol just after dawn on 13 August.
- The device, hidden in a rubbish bin, contained the equivalent of about 500g of TNT.
- The blast killed Robert Shageev, deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea fleet submarine brigade, as he walked past in naval uniform.
- Margarita Reutt is accused of planting the bomb.
- Shageev was described as a Ukrainian defector.
A woman described by those close to her as ‘ordinary’ stands accused of carrying out the assassination of a senior Russian naval commander in occupied Crimea, according to the Guardian. The case has drawn attention both for the target and for the profile of the suspect at its centre, Margarita Reutt.
The attack took place just after dawn in Sevastopol, the Russian-occupied Crimean port city. A powerful explosion tore through a quiet square in a residential district on 13 August, according to the report.
The bomb had been hidden inside a rubbish bin and contained the equivalent of about 500g of TNT. It detonated as Robert Shageev, the deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea fleet submarine brigade, walked past in naval uniform. He was killed on the spot, the Guardian reported.
Shageev was described as a Ukrainian defector. His role as a senior figure in the Black Sea fleet placed him among the ranks of Russian military commanders operating from the occupied peninsula.
Reutt is accused of planting the device. According to the Guardian, friends close to her expressed shock that she could allegedly carry out such an attack, while others recalled a stubborn grit and determination to see any plan through.
The report frames the case around the contrast between the seriousness of the alleged act and the seemingly unremarkable life of the woman accused of it.
Why it matters
Targeted killings of senior Russian commanders in occupied Crimea underscore how the conflict continues to reach behind front lines and into daily life in Sevastopol. The profile of the accused raises wider questions about who carries out such attacks and the personal stories behind them.
Frequently asked questions
Who was killed in the Sevastopol bombing?
Robert Shageev, the deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea fleet submarine brigade and a described Ukrainian defector, was killed when a bomb detonated as he walked past in naval uniform, according to the Guardian.
When and where did the attack happen?
The explosion occurred just after dawn on 13 August in a quiet square in a residential district of Sevastopol, the Russian-occupied Crimean port city.
How powerful was the bomb?
According to the Guardian, the device was hidden inside a rubbish bin and contained the equivalent of about 500g of TNT.