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Russian Black Sea commander Victor Sokolov appeared in an interview with a TV station after previously claiming he was killed in a Ukrainian missile attack. Photo/Sky News
MOSCOW – A television station belonging to the Ministry of Defense Russia broadcast an interview with Black Sea Fleet commander Viktor Sokolov on Wednesday (27/9/2023) morning local time. This is the second video featuring him in 24 hours.
This time, Admiral Sokolov spoke up and said the Black Sea fleet was operating effectively as quoted by Sky News.
Sky News could not confirm the authenticity of this video.
If the footage is truly new then it would appear to contradict Ukraine’s previous claim that he was killed in a missile attack on a Russian naval headquarters in Crimea.
The attack occurred on Friday.
In another video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, a man who appears to be Admiral Sokolov is seen attending a meeting chaired by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Responding to Russia’s first video yesterday, Ukrainian special forces said on Telegram: “As Russia was forced to immediately publish a response with Sokolov allegedly still alive, our units are clarifying the information.”
A report from the Pravda newspaper noted several suspicious aspects of the video, including the fact that Sokolov appeared “completely motionless on screen”. After a five-second cut in the video, he appears to be wearing glasses and remains motionless.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces reported on Monday that they had carried out a successful attack on the headquarters of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.
The attack, the military service said, left 105 people injured and killed 34 Russian military officers, including Sokolov.
(ian)
