Daily Times

In a missile attack last week on the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s command centre in the port of Sevastopol, Ukrainian special forces claimed on Monday that they had killed a senior admiral of Moscow in Crimea along with 33 other officers.

However, Moscow has made no statements to confirm or deny that Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the Black Sea Fleet commander and one of Russia’s top navy officials, had died.

However, Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol were taking additional security measures to fend off Ukraine’s escalating attacks on Crimea, a crucial region acting as a base from which Russia has launched the majority of its air attacks against Ukraine during the 19-month conflict.

Upon confirmation, the murder of Sokolov would be one of Kyiv’s most significant counterattacks against Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

“34 officers, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, died following the attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters. 105 more occupants suffered injuries. The Ukrainian special forces stated on the messaging app Telegram that the headquarters building could not be restored.

Since each side in the war has occasionally exaggerated enemy losses and kept quiet about its own losses, it was not immediately clear how Ukraine’s Special Forces counted the dead and injured in the attack.

One serviceman was initially reported dead by the Russian defence ministry, who then changed their statement to say that one serviceman was still missing after the strike. Five missiles were shot down by air defences, according to the ministry’s statement.

Along with using assault drones and missiles, Ukraine has intensified its attacks in the Black Sea and on the Crimean Peninsula.

According to Kyiv, annihilating the Russian Black Sea fleet would significantly hasten the end of the war.

The Sevastopol governor, who was installed by Russia, convened a meeting on Monday to improve defence and attack warning systems, which highlight the gravity of recent Ukrainian attacks.

“We understand that we have moved into a new situation that requires a systemic response,” Russian agencies cited the governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, as telling its government.

“Earlier, we and our military faced attacks from unmanned vehicles … Now everything has changed and we must be prepared for this kind of threat.”