Viktor Sokolov: Black Sea navy commander seen in Russian video alive

Russia’s Defense Ministry has shared a video in which the commander of the Black Sea Fleet is seen attending a conference. This is in contrast to Ukraine’s claim that they have already killed him.

We do not know when the video with Viktor Sokolov and the defence minister was recorded.

The ministry said they had a meeting with important people on Tuesday.

OnMonday, the special forces of Ukraine announced that Adm Sokolov and 33 other officers were killed by a missile attack on the headquarters of their fleet in Sevastopol, which is controlled by Russia in Crimea.

They did not say the admiral’s name directly, and they didn’t provide any proof that he had passed away. Now, they are saying that they are giving more information about the reports.

“They said that 34 officers died when a missile hit the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. “

According to some reports, the leader of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was among the people who died. Many [people] still haven’t been recognized because their body parts are in bad shape.

The video is 8minuteslong and shows a meeting at the Defence Ministry that happened on Tuesday morning. The Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu is having a conversation with important people in a meeting room in Moscow.

He is sometimes shown on video calls with the commanders of Russia’s five fleets, including the Black Sea Fleet. None of the commanders speak during these calls.

The facial recognition software found similarities between pictures of Adm Sokolov and the man in the newest video, indicating that it is likely him.

But the BBC is not sureif the meeting really happened on Tuesday or if the video of Adm Sokolov is live.
On Friday, Ukraine announced that they had attacked the main base of the Russian navy which is considered the strongest, and it was a significant goal for Kyiv.

Videos on social media showed thick smoke coming out of the building. Russia said that it had destroyed five missiles, but unfortunately, one soldier went missing during the attack.

Recently, the Kyiv army has been attacking the Russian troops stationed in Crimea almost everyday.

Is Ukraine attempting to regain control of Crimea.

Inaddition to being used for attacking Ukraine, the Black Sea fleet is a significant symbol of Russia’s long-standing military presence in the region.

The place was in Crimea under a rental agreement even before Russia took over the peninsula illegally in 2014.