The commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, died in Ukraine’s barrage on occupied Crimea last week, Kyiv said Monday.
“After the defeat of the headquarters of the Russian armed forces, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian armed forces. Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored,” Ukraine’s special operations forces said Monday.
In an initial statement after the attack, the Russian defense ministry said it had shot down five incoming missiles and only one serviceman was killed, though the fleet’s headquarters were damaged.
But rumors about Sokolov’s death circulated online and Ukraine jumped Monday at the chance to confirm the speculation. POLITICO has not independently verified the claims.
The attack was the latest in Ukraine’s quest to liberate occupied Crimea, which Russian President Vladimir Putin seized in 2014. Two weeks ago, Ukraine wrecked a Russian submarine in the port of Sevastopol and also regained control of strategically important oil and gas drilling platforms located in the Black Sea.
I’m not going to deny NATO has a strong interest in tying up and depleting Russia’s fighting power as long as possible but I have strong doubts about Ukraine not making gains.
War sucks and “winning” is a complicated concept. You can lose most battles and still “win”, especially during an invasion. If Ukraine can keep up the fight and outlast Russia’s will/ability to fight (or outlast Putin), they can “win”.
I’m leftist, but Russia today doesn’t represent any leftist ideals. It’s a country run by ultra-rich thugs stealing their country rich in wealth and now of blood. In the West, we are all sorts of fucked up but it’s the lesser evil right now. Please consider not supporting murderous thieves, that doesn’t mean supporting the capitalist thieves.
Where in my comment does it indicate I support Russia? Criticizing Ukriane does not equate to support for Russia. I’m pointing out that the same people claiming we were winning in Afghanistan and Iraq are claiming Ukraine is winning now. The same people that’s telling us the economy is good, despite our reality that it isn’t.
Took you for a Vatnik with the USSR flag. But there’s nothing wrong with some healthy skepticism and of course, both sides are cranking out propaganda.