May 06, 2025

Lured to Kill


Lured to Kill
Serhii Sternenko's shooter kneeling on the street with her face covered by her sweater and the weapon she used. Sluzhba Bezpeki Ukraini, Telegram.

On May 1, a 45-year-old woman was arrested in Kyiv after shooting at pro-Ukrainian activist, YouTuber, and army volunteer Serhii Sternenko. The suspect confessed that a man online seduced her into carrying out the attempted murder.

Sternenko has been active in Ukrainian politics since 2014. The Odessa native gained notoriety after becoming a board member of his city's chapter of the Ukrainian ultranationalist organization Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) from 2014 to 2017. And, despite holding a law degree, Sternenko has had run-ins with authorities. He was convicted of kidnapping pro-Russian activist Sergey Shcherbich, but in May 2021, was subsequently acquitted. Currently, he is a volunteer in the Ukrainian army and a YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers.

On May 1, Sternenko posted on his Telegram channel: "[I] was attacked. [I am] wounded." Two minutes later, he said, "Everything ok, there is no threat to life. Russians are idiots." The YouTuber confirmed shortly after that the attacker, a woman, was quickly detained. The Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU) posted a picture of a woman dressed in pink kneeling with her face covered by her sweater and a firearm on the ground nearby. Sternenko said a bullet went "right through" his leg. No vital organs were damaged. Ukrainskaya Pravda obtained security camera footage of the shooting.

The Ukrainian publication Grati identified the shooter as Odessa-born Lyudmila Chumerskaya. She does not have a job. She has a disability and requires hemodialysis. According to the SBU, she was recruited by Russian special services at the end of 2024 while looking for "quick money." At first, she surveilled and photographed cars. Then she was told to assemble an explosive device. On April 15, she moved to Sternenko's building and monitored him. On May 1, Chumerskaya was told where the gun was and was ordered to kill the activist near his home. The shooter did not know the victim.

Chumerskaya's lawyer, Anatoly Yurchenko, said she pleaded guilty and will cooperate with authorities.  During her trial, Yurchenko said "a person she completely trusted" told his client to kill Sternenko. The defense said a man introduced himself as an SBU employee. Then, he motivated Chumerskaya to attack Sternenko for alledgedly cooperating with the FSB and coordinating missile strikes on Kyiv. Even though the woman never met "the SBU employee" personally, she said, "First they intimidated me, and then I fell in love with the person (...) We communicated on Viber, I fell in love with words." She never saw a picture of the man.

The court ordered Chumerskaya arrested for at least two months. Sternenko is convinced Russian special forces are behind his attempted murder. According to him, the assassination could have been sparked by the clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian groups in Odesa on May 2, 2014.

You Might Also Like

With Prayers and Drones
  • April 28, 2025

With Prayers and Drones

Dozens of Orthodox military-patriotic clubs across Russia prepare children for war.
A Posthumous Conviction
  • April 30, 2025

A Posthumous Conviction

Mikhail Khachaturian, murdered by his daughters, was posthumously convicted of sexual violence.
Finn-ancial Crisis?
  • April 14, 2025

Finn-ancial Crisis?

The Finnish parliament has passed a law forbidding Russians from owning real estate in the country.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955