On August 13, a Russian serviceman was killed in an explosion in Sevastopol. The FSB Directorate for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol reported that a woman born in 1994 was apprehended in hot pursuit. According to the security service, she acted on instructions from Ukrainian special services; investigative actions are ongoing.
Several Telegram channels and regional media have identified the detained woman as Margarita Reut, a resident of Sochi. According to this version, the woman confessed to involvement in the bombing and claimed to have received a cryptocurrency reward. It is important to note that these details have so far been disseminated primarily with reference to Mash and other unofficial sources; no FSB interrogation materials, court documents, or formal charges have been published at this time.
The explosion occurred on Stoletov Avenue, in a residential area of the city. According to media reports, the device may have been placed in a trash can near a bench and detonated as the man walked past. It is precisely this method of attack — a remotely detonated explosive device in a public space — that poses a threat not only to the intended target but also to bystanders.
Who was the victim
The victim has been preliminarily identified as Robert Mansurovich Shageev, a former commander of the Ukrainian submarine “Zaporozhye”. Both Ukrainian and Russian sources agree that he served in the Ukrainian Navy and in 2014 transferred to serve in the Russian Navy. At the time of the first publications, no official statement definitively confirming the victim’s identity had been issued.
If reports of Shageev being the intended target are confirmed, this would indicate not a random explosion, but a premeditated assassination of a person connected to military service.
What is known about Reut
Information about the biography of the alleged suspect was published by Mash. According to the channel, Reut was born in Yaroslavl, later lived in Sochi, participated in volunteer environmental initiatives, and regularly traveled to Crimea. In 2023, she reportedly opened a travel agency, which soon ceased operations.
It was also reported that in the summer of 2025 she was fined in an administrative case related to a public statement about the Russian Armed Forces.
Echoes of the Moscow terrorist attack
The Sevastopol explosion occurred less than two weeks after another high-profile incident — the bombing outside the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow. At that time, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee described the incident as a terrorist attack: three people were killed and 21 others were wounded. According to the NAC, a female courier attempted to bring in an improvised explosive device disguised as a gift.
Russian authorities have not officially named the target of the Moscow attack. Some media outlets and Telegram channels speculated that the target might have been the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Alexander Chaiko.
The two cases differ in circumstances, location, and the number of casualties. However, they are linked by the logic of targeted violence using explosive devices in urban environments.
Reaction and open questions
At present, the public response from federal and Sevastopol authorities has been limited to statements from law enforcement agencies about the detention and ongoing investigative actions. Full official comments regarding the victim’s identity, the legal classification of the case, the cryptocurrency reward version, and possible masterminds have not yet been published.
Ukrainian media characterize Shageev as a former Ukrainian officer who switched sides to Russia in 2014.
