Result of the attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters on the Crimean Peninsula on the 22nd
“34 officers, including Admiral Sokolov, were killed and 105 were injured.”
Russia intensively shells Kherson-Odessa port… At least 6 people died
Ukraine claimed on the 25th (local time) that Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was killed in a recent Ukrainian attack.
According to foreign media, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in a statement, “In the attack on the 22nd, 34 officers, including the fleet commander, were killed and 105 (soldiers) were injured.”
Although the name of the ‘fleet commander’ was not specified, foreign media pointed out that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet was Admiral Sokolov, who took office in August of last year.
Admiral Sokolov is one of the top officers of the Russian Navy. He has served as Director of the Russian Naval Academy since 2020, and served as Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet from 2013 to 2020.
If confirmed to be true, it will be one of the most damaging incidents to the Russian Navy since the sinking of the Moscow, the flagship ship of the Black Sea Fleet, in April last year.
On the 22nd, Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula with a missile. The attack took place while senior Russian naval officers were meeting. At the time, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces announced, “We conducted a special operation called ‘Crab Trap’ while high-ranking officials of the Russian Navy were meeting,” adding, “Dozens of people, including senior leadership of the fleet, were killed.”
In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) on the 23rd, Ukraine said, “At least 9 people were killed and 16 were injured,” and “Colonel Alexander Romanchuk is in ‘very serious condition,’ and Lieutenant General Oleg Chekov is unconscious.” However, the rumor of Admiral Sokolov’s death was not confirmed. The Russian Ministry of Defense initially said one soldier had died, but later revised it to missing.
The Black Sea Fleet headquarters building was also largely destroyed in this attack. Russian media reported that part of the building had collapsed, and the New York Times reported that satellite photos before and after the attack showed that the building was severely damaged.
Ukraine has not confirmed what weapons it used, but foreign media estimates that it used Britain’s long-range cruise missile ‘Storm Shadow’ and France’s SCALP.
Ukraine has recently been strengthening its offensive against the Crimean Peninsula. It is using missiles and air and maritime drones to attack Russian warships, naval ports, bridges and military facilities.
On the 13th, it attacked the Black Sea Fleet shipyard in Sevastopol and destroyed the large landing ship ‘Minsk’ and the new Kilo-class attack submarine ‘Rostov-on-Don’ that were under repair.
Ukraine continued its attacks on the 25th. Russia confirmed that “air defense forces shot down one (Ukrainian) missile in the area of the Belbek military base in Sevastopol,” and added, “The attack was stopped and no significant damage or casualties occurred.”
Meanwhile, Russia intensively shelled the ports of Kherson and Odessa in southern Ukraine on the 25th.
According to CNN, Ukraine said, “Russia attacked with two supersonic missiles, 12 Kalibr cruise missiles, and 19 Shahed suicide drones, causing significant damage to the southern port of Odessa,” adding, “The port, houses, and grain warehouses were damaged.” He said.
He also said, “Russia shelled the Kherson region 87 times over the past day,” and added, “They attacked Dniprovsky again, resulting in at least 6 deaths and 5 injuries.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.