FORMER UKRAINIAN SUBMARINE COMMANDER WHO DEFECTED TO RUSSIA REPORTED KILLED IN SEVASTOPOL BLAST
Reports from occupied Sevastopol say Robert Shageev, the former commander of Ukraine’s submarine Zaporizhzhia, may have been killed in an explosion on the morning of August 13.
Shageev commanded Zaporizhzhia before Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014. After initially declaring loyalty to Ukraine, he ultimately defected and entered service with the Russian Navy, later holding command positions in Russia’s Black Sea submarine force. Ukrainian authorities had treated him as a deserter and traitor.
If his death is confirmed, it would mark a dramatic end for an officer who once wore the Ukrainian uniform before choosing to serve the occupying fleet.