Varlamova was killed by a mentally unstable man on 17 December 2008. She was 54 years old.[2] The man had reportedly threatened Varlamova several times leading up to her murder, though she had never taken his threats seriously.[2] She was found lying in the street around 9 pm with knife wounds to her neck. She had managed to drag herself 15 meters from the scene of the attack before collapsing.[2]
The suspect was identified as Dmitry Kireyev, who was 51 years old at the time.[2] Kireyev, a former municipal council member and the former editor of a local newspaper, had been unemployed in recent years.[2] Kandalaksha Police Chief Anatoly Prokopenko called Varlamova's attack a "spontaneous murder."[2]
Varlamova was the third Russian mayor to be murdered in a span of less than 30 days.[2] Magomed Barakhoyev, the mayor of a district within Nazran, Ingushetia, was shot and killed on 17 November 2008, while Vladikavkaz Mayor Vitaly Karayev was also killed in a shooting on 26 November 2008.[2]