An unidentified soldier killed four people, including three civilians, in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol on Tuesday, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor installed by Moscow in the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.
In a Telegram post, Razvozhayev described the incident as a tragedy. “According to initial information, a soldier opened fire on his fellow servicemen, killing one person, before attacking civilians and killing three of them,” he wrote. The assailant, whose nationality was not specified and whose motives were not immediately clear, was arrested, he added.
“Emergency services, investigators and forensic experts are currently working at the scene. All the circumstances and causes of what happened are being established,” the governor said. He urged residents to remain calm, trust only official information, and avoid spreading unverified rumours.
The civilian victims were identified as two men aged 71 and 59, and a 64-year-old woman, Razvozhayev said.
Background of tension
Sevastopol, a strategic naval base on the Crimean coast, has been under Russian control since Moscow's illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014. For weeks, Ukrainian forces have carried out retaliatory strikes on Crimea, targeting military infrastructure and logistics hubs that support Russian troops in southern Ukraine. These attacks have repeatedly disrupted supply lines and forced Russia to reposition assets.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has regularly struck Ukrainian territory, including from bases in Crimea. The peninsula has also been a launchpad for drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, such as the recent ballistic missile barrage on Kyiv that killed nine people and wounded dozens.
The shooting in Sevastopol comes amid heightened security concerns across Russian-occupied territories. In recent months, there have been several incidents involving Russian military personnel, including a blast at a Moscow restaurant that killed three people, which Russian authorities called a bombing. The Kremlin has often blamed such incidents on Ukrainian sabotage, though no such claim has been made in this case.
Razvozhayev did not provide further details about the soldier's identity or possible motives. Local investigators are examining the scene, and forensic teams are working to establish the sequence of events.
The incident underscores the volatile atmosphere in Crimea, where the local population has faced both Ukrainian attacks and Russian military presence. The peninsula's strategic importance remains high, as it serves as a key hub for Russian naval operations in the Black Sea and a staging ground for logistics.
European observers have repeatedly condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law. The European Union and its member states, along with the United Kingdom and other partners, have imposed sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, including the occupation of Crimea.
As the investigation continues, residents of Sevastopol are being urged to stay calm and rely on official channels for information. The governor's appeal reflects the tense atmosphere in a city that has seen repeated security incidents since the start of the war.
