“Dead admiral” appears in new videos

Screen grab from YouTube video

It now appears that Ukrainian Special Operations Forces were unduly overoptimistic in their assessment that Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was among those killed in a missile strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on September 22.

Yesterday, video emerged purporting to show Sokolov among those attending a meeting of the board of the Russian Defense Ministry via videoconference. The quality of that video had some analysts questioning its authenticity.

Today, fresh video appeared showing the “dead admiral” apparently alive and well.

In one that appeared on the Russian state-owned nationwide TV network Zvezda, run by the Russian Ministry of Defense, he announced that a Russian marine unit had been awarded an order, with the corresponding decree being signed by Russian President Vladmir Putin. He is quoted as saying: “The Black Sea Fleet confidently and successfully fulfills the tasks assigned to it by the command.”

In the other, on a state-controlled TV outlet in Sevastopol, he is seen at an award ceremony for the Chernomorets football team, which won the Russian Armed Forces Championship. In response to questions, apparently about the missile strike, he reportedly said: ”What happened to us? Nothing happened to us. Life goes on.”