Sevastopol blast kills Russian service member, state media says

Sevastopol, in Crimea, has traditionally been home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

LONDON -- An explosion killed a Russian service member in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Thursday, according the state-run RIA Novosti and Tass news agencies.

RIA Novosti said that law enforcement detained a Russian woman who was believed to have been involved in the explosion.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said the woman was acting on orders from Ukraine's intelligence services, Tass reported.

Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev also confirmed the explosion and the arrest of a woman -- who he said was born in 1994 -- in a statement to Telegram. "This cynical crime against an officer is deeply disturbing," Razvozhayev wrote.

"Investigators have established that she acted on the orders of Ukrainian special services and shows no remorse for her actions," Razvozhayev said. The governor did not give any information on the status or identity of the victim.

Sevastopol, which sits on the southwestern tip of Crimea, is the largest city on the occupied peninsula and has historically hosted the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Sevastopol has been a key target of long-range Ukrainian attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022. In 2023, for example, the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters building in the city was badly damaged by a Ukrainian cruise missile attack.

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