Two Women Sentenced in Absentia in Russia for Alleged Murder of Missile Officer

A Russian military court has sentenced two women in Absentia for the alleged murder of a missile officer.

According to the publication Astra, Russian citizen Elena Popova and Ukrainian citizen Mariia Savosta were each sentenced to 18 and 24 years in prison, respectively, for their supposed involvement in the death of Russian missile officer Konstantin Nagayko.

Currently, both women are outside the Russian Federation.

According to the investigation, 29-year-old Nagayko was killed on December 30, 2024, in the city of Shuya, the Ivanovo region, after opening a package containing a homemade explosive device. Investigators believe the package was allegedly sent by Ukrainian Mariia Savosta and handed over to him by Elena Popova.

The case was heard by the 2nd Western District Military Court in a closed session, and both women were found guilty of committing a “terrorist act.”

It is worth noting that the officer’s death became known on January 4, 2025. The Russian officer was eliminated at his military unit, suffering multiple shrapnel wounds to almost all of his organs, including his brain.

“He was on duty at his military unit, and now—he’s on the verge of death,” the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported at the time.

According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, Nagayko was the commander of the 112th Missile Brigade and was directly involved in missile strikes on Ukrainian territory.

In particular, his unit carried out an attack on a café in the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region on October 5, 2023, during a memorial service, resulting in the deaths of 59 civilians.

Captain Konstantin Nagayko was born on November 6, 1995, in the city of Svobodny, the Amur region, Russia.

He graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation and the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy.