Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Local chat groups quickly identified the shooter as a 21-year-old man.
According to the exiled Russian news outlet Agentstvo, a Russian soldier has gone on a shooting spree near Sevastopol on the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea in Ukraine.
The victims included three local civilians aged 59, 64, and 71, along with a military service member. Their sudden deaths left neighbors in shock.
Four additional victims suffered serious injuries during the rampage, with one soldier among those currently receiving emergency care.
The Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev confirmed that medical personnel were “doing everything possible to save them,” The Moscow Times reported.
Following an intensive search through nearby woodlands, authorities finally captured the armed suspect. Razvozhayev announced via Telegram that “the attacker has been detained,” easing immediate fears across the surrounding countryside.
Uncovering the shooter
Independent media outlets quickly worked to uncover the identity of the shooter. Agentstvo reported that local chat groups had circulated images identifying the gunman as 21-year-old Maxim Alistratov.
Leaked public records show that Alistratov grew up in Russia’s Saratov region. He was still attending high school there in early 2022 before compiling a troubled personal history.
Police files indicate that authorities accused him of breaking into a shop and stealing cash alongside a teenager in late 2022. By late 2025, leaked microloan applications showed he was unemployed and struggling financially.
Panic and capture
Before his arrest, the young soldier sparked widespread panic across several nearby settlements. Urgent alerts posted in local chat channels warned residents to stay cautious while the gunman remained at large in dense surrounding woods.
Reporters attempted to contact the suspect’s relatives shortly after the violence. One woman listed online as his mother claimed she did not know him. A second relative registered at his home address stated she knew nothing about the shooting spree.
