In a turn of events, Russia’s defence ministry has released a video purportedly showing Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, attending a conference, contradicting Ukraine’s claims of his demise. The authenticity and timing of the footage, where Sokolov is seen via video link with Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu, remain unverified.
The ministry asserted that this meeting with high-ranking officials occurred on Tuesday, while Ukraine’s special forces had previously announced on Monday that Admiral Sokolov, along with 33 other officers, had perished in a missile strike on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea.
Further complicating matters, a TV channel affiliated with Russia’s defence ministry aired a video interview with Admiral Sokolov on Wednesday, where he asserted the fleet’s successful operations. The timing of this clip’s filming is also unclear.
Ukraine has neither directly named the admiral nor provided evidence supporting their claim of his death, leading to a perceived retraction and “clarification” of their statements following the release of Russia’s video. Ukraine’s special forces maintained that 34 officers were killed, citing the condition of the bodies as a reason for unidentified casualties.
This shift in narrative and reliance on “open sources” for their claims indicate a change in Ukraine’s stance, with the new Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, stopping short of confirming Sokolov’s death. If Ukraine had indeed acted on intelligence to target a significant meeting in Crimea, overstating its achievements could be a critical misstep in the ongoing information war.
The video in question, lasting eight minutes, depicts a Defence Ministry collegium, allegedly held on Tuesday morning, with Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu interacting with senior officials in Moscow and fleet commanders via video link. Facial recognition software suggests a match between Admiral Sokolov and the individual in the video, but the BBC has yet to confirm the veracity of the meeting’s timing and the real-time nature of Sokolov’s appearance.