Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia’s most senior naval officers, appeared on a video conference on Tuesday, a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him, Reuters reports.
Vice Admiral Viktor SokolovPhoto: Not supplied / WillWest News / Profimedia
In a photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Sokolov appears to be participating in a video conference with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other admirals and military chiefs.
The Russian agency RIA Novosti published images from that video conference, in which Sokolov allegedly took part. The admiral appears at some point in the frame.
Russia’s Defense Ministry releases a video (via @rianru) of top officers meeting with Shoigu, and says Black Sea Fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov — whom Ukraine claims was killed in a Sevastopol missile strike last week — is present. pic.twitter.com/kmw6BUeYhH
— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) September 26, 2023
Ukrainian special forces said on Monday they had killed Sokolov, Moscow’s top admiral in Crimea, along with 33 other officers in a missile attack launched last week on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol.
The Kremlin declined to comment
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Ukraine’s claim on Tuesday, referring reporters to the Russian Defense Ministry.
In the video released by the ministry, Shoigu said that more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, were destroyed.
“Ukrainian armed forces are suffering serious losses along the entire front line,” Shoigu said, adding that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has so far yielded no results.
“The United States and its allies continue to arm the armed forces of Ukraine, and the Kiev regime throws untrained soldiers into battle in senseless attacks,” Shoigu said.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive has so far produced no significant territorial gains against Russian forces, which control about 17.5 percent of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory.
A week ago, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center estimated that Russia had gained 56 square km of territory from Ukraine in the past month, while Kiev’s forces had recaptured 26 square km from Russian forces.
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