- Four people have been killed by a soldier in Russian-annexed Crimea in an apparently random gun rampage.
- The Moscow-installed regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev confirmed that the gunman opened fire on his fellow soldiers, killing one and wounding another.
- The soldier then went on to kill three civilians in the village of Khmelnytske - two men, aged 71 and 59, and a 64-year-old woman.
- Three other people were also injured in the attack.
- The attacker has been detained and the motive behind the shooting is being investigated, according to Razvozhayev.
- Razvozhayev stated that doctors were "doing everything possible to save" those injured in the attack.
- Russia has controlled Ukraine's Crimean peninsula since 2014, a move that the vast majority of the international community rejects, considering it an occupation of Ukrainian land.
- Crimea has been the target of Ukrainian retaliatory attacks aimed at disrupting the logistics of Russian forces deployed in southern Ukraine.
- The civilian victims were confirmed by Razvozhayev, who stated that the assailant's nationality and motives were not immediately clear.
A soldier in Russian-occupied Crimea has killed four people in a shooting rampage, with the Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev confirming the incident occurred in Sevastopol. The gunman opened fire on fellow soldiers, killing one and wounding another, before targeting civilians.1
The civilian victims included two men aged 71 and 59, and a 64-year-old woman. Three others were also injured in the attack, which has left the community in shock. Razvozhayev stated that the attacker has been detained, but his identity and the branch of the Russian armed forces he served with remain undisclosed.5
Razvozhayev urged the public to rely on official information and avoid spreading unverified rumors regarding the motives behind the shooting. He emphasized that emergency services and investigators are currently working at the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. “A tragedy in Sevastopol... According to initial information, a soldier opened fire on his fellow servicemen, killing one person, before attacking civilians and killing three of them,” he wrote on Telegram.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions in Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014, a move largely rejected by the international community. The region has seen increased military activity and retaliatory attacks from Ukraine, raising concerns about security and stability in the area.
As investigations continue, it remains unclear whether the death toll will rise, with Razvozhayev stating that doctors are “doing everything possible to save” those injured in the attack.
“Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said the attacker fired on fellow soldiers, killing one and wounding another, then killed three civilians — two men, aged 71 and 59, and a 64-year-old woman — in Khmelnytske. He urged residents to trust only official information and avoid unverified rumours; the attacker has been detained and the motive was under investigation.”
Euronews.com
