I bet it was plugged into an extension cord.
Not good to drop the end of an extension cord into the bathwater.
That might make sense. Still, it would likely not happen in the US as most homes in the US have ground fault circuit interrupters which cut off the current if there is any short or water exposure. You can throw a toaster into the bathtub and before it can shock the bather, the current is cut off.
Since this was Russia, then anything is possible.
Particularly as the extension cord was likely to be plugged into a 240V circuit.
Not good to drop the end of an extension cord or any cord anywhere.
That happened to me in a dry way. I was getting ready for work, I had my phone cell charger plugged in the bathroom outlet. In a rush instead of disconnecting from the outlet I disconnected from he cell and let the cord dropped. The cord instead of dropping down straight it dropped at an angle. As I made my first step forward, I tripped and winded up with blister through out my leg. So be careful folks with cords. I would never keep anything electrical near my shower tub.
Most likely that was the reason. Russian bathrooms don't have wall sockets because of the building regulations. The original article in Russian also says the cord's insulation was damaged.
