Russia’s defence ministry has released footage showing Viktor Sokolov, the commander of its Black Sea fleet, attending a defence board meeting via video call, a day after Ukraine claimed Sokolov was killed in an attack on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol.
In the video, Sokolov was seen apparently taking part in a video conference with the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and senior admirals and army chiefs.
Ukraine’s special forces said on Monday they had killed Sokolov, Moscow’s top admiral in Crimea, along with 33 other officers in a missile attack last week that was timed to coincide with a meeting of naval officials.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it had not “receive[d] any information” about Sokolov’s alleged death from the defence ministry.
The defence ministry released a statement that did not name Sokolov and that said the meeting had taken place earlier in the day. In an eight-minute video distributed later by the ministry, Sokolov appears on screen several times without speaking.
It was not clear how Ukraine’s military counted dead and wounded people in the attack. Several close relatives of Sokolov declined to respond to requests for comment.
Over the weekend, Ukraine’s intelligence head, Kyrylo Budanov, told Voice of America that at least nine people were killed and 16 wounded in Friday’s strike. Budanov did not mention Sokolov but claimed that Alexander Romanchuk, a Russian general commanding forces along the main south-eastern frontline, was “in a very serious condition” after the attack.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion 19 months ago, both sides have exaggerated enemy losses while often staying quiet about their own casualties. Given Sokolov’s seniority, it is unlikely that Moscow would be able to conceal his death for a prolonged period.
Sokolov was appointed as commander of the Crimea-based Black Sea fleet in August 2022, reportedly to shore up the defences of Crimea after it was first hit by a series of Ukrainian explosions last summer.
