An explosion in a park on Stoletovsky Prospekt in annexed Sevastopol on the morning of August 13 killed a local resident, according to Telegram channels Mash and Baza, which are close to Russian security forces. Witnesses said the man was walking down a staircase with a friend when the blast occurred. Preliminary reports suggest the explosive device was planted in a trash bin near a bench.
Official authorities have not identified the victim. Telegram channels 112 and VChK-OGPU, as well as blogger Anatoly Shariy, claim the dead man is Captain 1st Rank Robert Shageev. Sources of the Ukrainian Telegram channel Krymsky Veter also name him as the victim.
Shageev was the former commander of the Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's only submarine. After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, he defected to Russia, surrendered the submarine without a fight, and later became deputy commander of the 4th Separate Submarine Brigade of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine has opened a criminal case against him in absentia on charges of high treason.
The Telegram channel ChP/Krym initially reported that the explosion was allegedly carried out by a woman who had been following the man, but later deleted the post and said the information was false. There is no verified data on who may have been involved in the blast.
Sources are divided: Mash, Baza, 112, VChK-OGPU, Shariy, and Krymsky Veter report that the victim is Russian Navy officer Robert Shageev. The Telegram channel ChP/Krym claims the victim was not a military serviceman. Official authorities have not commented on the explosion or the identity of the deceased.