Claimed ‘Killed’ by Ukraine, Russian Black Sea Commander “Reappear”
Just last Monday, Ukrainian special forces issued a statement claiming that Commander Sokolov, along with 33 Russian military officers, had been "killed" in Ukraine's guided missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Sevastopol port in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Viktor Sokolov, made an appearance on the state television station attending a meeting with Russian Defense Minister, days after Ukraine declared victory in “killing” him.
In videos and images released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sokolov is seen participating in the meeting alongside the country’s Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and other army commanders.
However, it’s uncertain whether the video was recorded recently or when the meeting took place.
Just last Monday, Ukrainian special forces issued a statement claiming that Commander Sokolov, along with 33 Russian military officers, had been “killed” in Ukraine’s guided missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Sevastopol port in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
The statement by Ukrainian special forces about “killing” Sokolov was hailed by supporters in the country as another successful retaliation against Russia.
For several days, Western media featured the “killing” of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander as their top news.
In an immediate response, Ukrainian special forces issued a statement through Telegram that they were gathering “updated information” after Russia released pictures and videos showing Sokolov still alive.
Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umarov, in an interview with CNN, reluctantly changed his statement, not confirming whether Sokolov was still alive or dead.
“He (Sokolov) is in our captured territory, and he shouldn’t be there. If he is dead, it’s a good thing because we continue to liberate our captured territories,” he said.
In the video, the Russian Minister of Defense claimed that over 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September, with the destruction of around 2,700 Ukrainian military assets.
He also stated that Ukraine’s counterattacks over the past three months had yielded no results.
Ukraine’s counterattacks so far have failed to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces, which control 17.5% of Ukraine.
According to data from the Belfer Center at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, released last September, Russian forces have captured an additional 35 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in the past month.
In contrast, Ukrainian forces have only managed to recapture 16 square kilometers of their territory from Russian forces. — DSA
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