Special operations forces of Ukraine announced that they were “clarifying information” regarding the death of Admiral Viktor Sokolov. This is the first reaction of Kyiv after Russia released a video showing that he is alive, Ukrainian Pravda reports.

“As you know, 34 officers were killed as a result of the missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. Available sources claim that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is among the dead. Many have not yet been identified due to mutilated bodies,” the SSO said in a press release on Tuesday afternoon.

“Since the Russians were forced to urgently publish the answer, where Sokolov is allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information. This is happening as part of the procedure for collecting data on the results of the operation,” he added.

We will remind, on Monday special operations in Kyiv announced that Sokolov was killed during a missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia, which happened last Friday.

Videos posted on social media showed the facade of the building badly damaged and a fire inside the Russian naval headquarters, while the SSO said 34 Russian officers, including Admiral Sokolov, had been killed and more than 100 wounded a day earlier.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Olestiuk publicly praised the pilots of the Ukrainian planes that launched the missiles in this operation. “We promise that there will be more,” the same commander added, after Russian military targets on the Crimean peninsula have recently been attacked by Ukrainian forces on an almost daily basis.

Admiral Sokolov appeared at a meeting at the Ministry of Defense of Russia on Tuesday

But RIA Novosti, one of Russia’s state-run news agencies, on Tuesday released a video of a Russian defense ministry meeting that allegedly took place earlier in the day, in which Sokolov can also be seen jogging.

The TASS agency reported that “Sokolov was present at the meeting of the board of directors of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.”

Other admirals and commanders of Russian forces can be seen at the same meeting chaired by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Ukraine also announced the “elimination” of at least one high-ranking Russian commander, whose death was later unconfirmed following the announcement of the March 2022 assassination in Kherson of General Andrii Mordvichev, who commanded the Russian 8th Army at the time.

However, a few days later, Mordvichev appeared on a video recording with the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and in February of this year, President Vladimir Putin appointed him commander of the Central Military District.

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