The escort, the biologist, and the bomb: how the submarine commander who betrayed Ukraine was eliminated
Margarita Raut, 32, was arrested on suspicion of eliminating a submarine officer who defected from Ukraine to Russia in Sevastopol using an explosive device. She received payment in cryptocurrency and showed no remorse. The officer, Shagiev, commanded the submarine 'Zaporizhzhia' until he defected in 2014. Raut worked as a biologist and appeared on escort websites. The assassination joins a series of killings of senior Russian military figures.
Margarita Raut, 32, was arrested on suspicion of planting an explosive device in a trash can in Sevastopol, eliminating a former submarine officer who defected from Ukraine to Russia. The explosion was so powerful that residents thought it was a drone strike. The officer, Shagiev, commanded the submarine 'Zaporizhzhia' until he defected in 2014, and subsequently served in the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Raut, a native of Yaroslavl who lived in Sochi, worked as a biologist and appeared on escort websites. According to a Russian Telegram channel, she received payment in cryptocurrency and planned to flee abroad. She had a history of resistance to the regime, including a fine and a short prison term in 2025. The regional governor described the case as a 'cynical and disturbing crime'. The assassination joins a series of killings of senior Russian military figures in the past month.