MOSCOW, Aug 13 - A Russian military officer was killed on Thursday in what authorities described as an assassination in Sevastopol, the largest city in Russian-annexed Crimea, regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

He said a woman had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack on behalf of Ukrainian special services. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Razvozhayev did not identify the victim or the suspect. State news agency TASS quoted the FSB security service as saying the woman was a Russian national.

Russia has previously blamed Ukraine for a string of previous assassinations of senior military officials and people linked to Moscow's war effort.

Separately, Razvozhayev said five people were killed in Sevastopol overnight during an operation to dispose of an explosive device. REUTERS

Russian officer killed in suspected assassination in Crimea, governor says