A Russian soldier opened fire, killing one fellow soldier before shooting and killing three civilians in Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. The incident resulted in four deaths and several injuries amid a lockdown during the manhunt, before authorities apprehended the suspect.
The shooting occurred in the Kmelnytskoe community, Balaklava district, Sevastopol, in southern Crimea during the early hours of 4 August. A Russian soldier began by shooting a fellow soldier, then proceeded to shoot civilians in the area, resulting in four fatalities.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-appointed governor of Sevastopol, stated that initial information indicates the suspect first shot a fellow soldier, killing one and wounding another, before shooting and killing three civilians.
The civilian victims included a 71-year-old man, a 59-year-old man, and a 64-year-old woman. Additionally, three others were injured and urgently taken to hospital, though no further details about their conditions have been released.
Razvozhayev said authorities have arrested the suspect but have not disclosed the name, identity, or motive. Security personnel continue working and investigating the scene.
Local media reported the shooting happened between the villages of Pervomayskoye and Kmelnytskoe, with information suggesting the suspect fled into nearby woods after the incident. However, these details have not been confirmed by officials.
Following the incident, authorities closed several roads across Sevastopol in the morning, causing some bus routes to be diverted or temporarily suspended. Traffic was reopened around 09:00 local time.
Sevastopol officials urged residents to stay calm and refrain from spreading unverified rumors or information amid heightened security measures at the crime scene.
The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, a move widely unrecognized by Ukraine and most of the international community. In recent weeks, Crimea and Sevastopol have been targeted by multiple Ukrainian retaliatory attacks aimed at disrupting Russian supply routes and logistics in southern Ukraine.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has continuously attacked Ukraine since then, using bases in Crimea as part of its military operations.
Russian authorities are currently investigating the latest shooting in Sevastopol to determine the cause and motive, as well as examining details about the weapons and the circumstances leading to the shooting of both a fellow soldier and civilians.