Russia says naval commander alive despite Ukraine’s claims

Russia is disputing a claim that a top naval commander was killed during a massive Ukrainian strike last week in the Black Sea, broadcasting video Tuesday that featured an appearance by the admiral during a briefing.

Adm. Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Russian Black Sea fleet, was present via video stream during a briefing with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, according to a video shared by Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti.

The authenticity of the video could not be immediately confirmed, but Russian media said the briefing took place Tuesday.

Ukraine claimed on Monday that Sokolov was killed along with 33 Russian officers after a Friday strike obliterated the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in the port city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.

Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces said “available sources” indicate Sokolov was killed in the strike, but the dead have not been positively identified yet.

“Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish an answer with an apparently alive Sokolov, our units are clarifying the information,” the Ukrainian unit said on Telegram.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed after the strike that five missiles were shot down and only one service member was missing.

Russian military blogger Rybar said three Ukrainian missiles struck the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, but there was no one in the building at the time of the strike.

“And the information about the death of the Black Sea Fleet commander, dispersed by the Ukrainian media, does not correspond to reality,” Rybar claimed in a Telegram post.

The death of a navy admiral would be a devastating blow to Russia. Moscow has reportedly lost several high-ranking generals in the war already.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday he had no information about Ukraine’s claims that Sokolov had been killed, state-run outlet TASS posted on Telegram.