By In a recent and concerning development, Ukraine’s special forces have reported that they carried out a missile attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea, last week. The attack reportedly resulted in the death of Moscow’s top admiral in Crimea, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, along with 33 other officers. Admiral Sokolov was a highly-ranking naval officer in Russia.
As of now, the Russian Defence Ministry has not confirmed or denied these reports, and Moscow has not provided any updates on the incident. Initially, Russia’s military had stated that one serviceman was killed, but they later corrected this information, stating that the individual was missing.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, announced on Monday evening that Russian air defences had intercepted a missile near the military airfield in Belbek, a nearby village. However, no further details were provided regarding potential damage or casualties.
Ukraine’s special forces assert that the missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters was targeted at a meeting of the Russian Navy’s leadership. According to their statement, 34 officers lost their lives in the attack, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and an additional 105 individuals were wounded. They also claimed that the headquarters building is beyond repair.
It’s worth noting that both Russia and Ukraine have been known to sometimes exaggerate enemy losses while being secretive about their own. The Washington DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) pointed out that if Ukraine’s claims are false, Moscow could easily disprove them.
Sevastopol is a significant city in Crimea, which Russia controversially annexed in 2014. Ukraine has not abandoned its hopes of reclaiming the region.
Before the attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, Ukraine had launched a series of strikes on Crimea. These included an attack on a Russian military airfield in Saky, weakening Russian air defences along the northwest coast, and a missile strike on the primary dry-dock and ship-repair facility in Sevastopol. This last attack reportedly damaged an attack submarine and a landing ship.
Furthermore, Russia’s defence ministry reported on Monday that it had successfully repelled several drone attacks by Ukraine over Russian regions such as Belgorod and Kursk, destroying at least 11 drones in total. Russian territory, including Moscow, has been targeted by numerous drone attacks in recent months.
