‘Dead’ Russian admiral says ‘life goes on’ after Ukraine claims he was killed in missile strike, new video shows
Russia trotted out a new video showing an interview with the seemingly very-much-alive Black Sea fleet commander Viktor Sokolov — days after Ukraine’s special forces claimed he had been killed in a missile strike.
State television stations on Wednesday aired footage showing Sokolov looking healthy and in high spirits while handing medals to a Black Sea fleet soccer team.
A reporter’s voiceover stated that the video was shot on Sept. 27, but it could not be independently verified.
Sokolov was asked to say a few words to residents of the port city of Sevastopol “about what had happened” — an apparent nod to the Ukrainian claim that he was among the 34 officers killed in Friday’s missile attack on the fleet’s headquarters.
The strike was said to have also injured 105 people.
“What happened to us? Nothing happened to us,” Sokolov responded matter-of-factly. “Life goes on. The Black Sea fleet confidently and successfully carries out the tasks assigned to it by the command.”
“Surface forces, submarine forces, naval aviation and coastal troops are successfully completing tasks,” the admiral added, before touting the “heroic feats” of Russian marines.
It was the second video featuring Sokolov to have been released by Russia in as many days.
On Tuesday, its defense ministry shared a clip showing the high-ranking naval commander taking part in a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top military brass.
Sokolov did not speak in that video, which saw him seated in an oddly shaped armchair.
Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces posted a statement Tuesday on Telegram saying its sources claimed that Sokolov was among the dead, many of whom had not yet been identified. It said it was trying to verify the claim “regarding the destruction of the commander” after the first video surfaced.
Kyiv has not commented on the latest video featuring Sokolov in Sevastopol.
The Kremlin has kept mum about the admiral’s status, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously referring all inquiries about Friday’s strike to the defense ministry.
