Ukraine have claimed that the commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was killed in the missile strike on Sevastopol on Friday.
The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in a social media update on Monday that he was among the 34 killed during the missile strike of the Black Sea fleet headquarters. They also claimed that 105 other occupiers were injured.
The Russian defence ministry initially said that Friday’s strike killed one service member at the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, but later issued a statement that he was missing. They have not yet commented on the latest claims.
Kyiv launched the missile attack on the fleet based in the port city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Friday morning.
Ukrainian officials said the attack, targeting what is believed to be the best of Russia’s navy, was timed to coincide with the naval commanders’ meeting. On Saturday morning, it followed this up with another missile attack on Sevastopol, according to a local Russian-installed official.
The strike sent plumes of black smoke billowing from the building. The special forces added that: “The headquarters are beyond repair.”
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