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Commander of Ukraine’s Only Submarine Who Defected to Russia Reportedly Killed in Crimea
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A man reportedly identified as Robert Shageyev, a former Ukrainian naval officer who commanded the country’s only submarine before defecting to Russia after the occupation of Crimea, was killed in an explosion in Sevastopol, according to Russian media outlet Astra on August 13.
Astra reported that the explosion occurred on Stoletovsky Prospekt in occupied Sevastopol. Preliminary reports suggested an explosive device had been planted inside a trash can near a bench.
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The man was reportedly walking down a staircase with a friend when the device detonated. He died at the scene from his injuries.
The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which claims to publish leaks from Russian security structures, identified the dead man as Russian Navy officer Robert Shageyev. His identity has not yet been independently confirmed.
💀 Sevastopol. According to information from Russian channels Robert Mansurovich Shageev, an officer in the Ukrainian Navy and commander of the submarine "Zaporizhzhia" was killed.
— MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 13, 2026
In 2014, he transferred from the Ukrainian Navy to the Russian Navy. pic.twitter.com/nMYfOjjuDi
Shageyev previously commanded Zaporizhzhia, the only submarine operated by the Ukrainian Navy at the time of Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014.
According to Ukrainian accounts, Shageyev surrendered the submarine to Russian forces without a fight and subsequently swore allegiance to the Russian military, continuing his service with Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Ukrainian authorities notified him of suspicion of high treason in July 2022.
Additional information circulating alongside reports of his death says that after switching sides, Shageyev was appointed commander of a submarine division in Sevastopol Bay in 2015.
From 2017 to 2018, he reportedly commanded the Russian submarine B-262 Stary Oskol, a Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarine capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles.
Shageyev participated in Russian strikes on Syria and later served in a command structure overseeing Black Sea Fleet submarines equipped with Kalibr missiles used against Ukrainian cities.
The pro-Kremlin Mash channel, meanwhile, claimed that a woman may have been involved in the Sevastopol explosion. According to the channel, she was seen carrying a backpack between buildings 28 and 30 and appeared to be watching the victim.
Witnesses reportedly said the blast was so loud that some initially believed a drone had struck a nearby building.
Russian authorities have not yet released full details about the explosion or publicly confirmed the victim’s identity.
The Zaporizhzhia, designated U01, was a Soviet-built Project 641 diesel-electric submarine, known to NATO as the Foxtrot class. Built in 1970, it entered Ukrainian Navy service in 1997 following the division of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet.
The submarine spent much of its Ukrainian service undergoing repairs because of chronic funding shortages and problems with its batteries, though it successfully completed sea trials in 2012.
After Russia seized Crimea in 2014, the submarine fell under Russian control. Shageyev’s reported decision to remain with the Russian military later made him one of the more prominent Ukrainian naval officers accused of defecting during the takeover of the peninsula.
Earlier reports indicated that as of the beginning of 2026, Russia has lost at least 19 generals.
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