Title: Russian Navy Commander Appears in Video Conference Amid Reports of His Death
Subtitle: Ukrainian special forces claim responsibility for the attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters
Date: September 26, 2023
MOSCOW – In a surprising turn of events, Russian Navy Commander Viktor Sokolov was seen attending a video conference on Tuesday, just a day after Ukrainian special forces claimed to have killed him. The video conference was chaired by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and included other top admirals and army chiefs, as depicted in footage and photographs released by the Russian defence ministry.
The video conference, which was shown on Russian state television, contradicted the Ukrainian claim that Sokolov had been killed in a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol. The attack supposedly resulted in the deaths of Sokolov and 33 other officers.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the Ukrainian claim and redirected reporters to the defence ministry for further information. The Russian defence ministry’s release of the video conference footage suggests that Sokolov is alive and well, although the authenticity of the video and the exact circumstances surrounding Sokolov’s alleged death remain unclear.
During the video conference, Defence Minister Shoigu reported that over 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September alone. He also stated that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed. Shoigu further criticized the United States and its allies for continuing to arm the Ukrainian armed forces, accusing the Kyiv regime of sending untrained soldiers to their deaths in futile assaults.
Despite these claims by the Russian side, Ukraine’s counter-offensive has yet to make significant territorial gains against Russian forces, who currently control approximately 17.5% of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory. According to a recent report by Harvard’s Kennedy School, Russia has gained 35 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the past month, while Ukrainian forces have managed to retake 16 square miles from Russian control.
As the situation continues to unfold, the international community remains on edge, anxiously awaiting further updates. The contradictory information regarding Sokolov’s status has raised questions about the reliability of conflicting reports and highlights the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
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Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones