The Kremlin has reportedly ousted the head of its Black Sea Fleet after a series of apparent Ukrainian attacks on occupied Crimea, where the fleet is based.
Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov was made head of the fleet Wednesday, Russian state-run outlet RIA reported, citing unnamed sources. Sokolov ousts Admiral Igor Osipov, who’s commanded the fleet since 2019.
The leadership change comes as Russian momentum in Ukraine had reached a crawl, and a series of explosions in Crimea hint at the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The Russian Ministry of Defense immediately denied the report according to Russian newspaper Kommersant, warning, “Do not believe the gossip, when he is appointed, then it will be officially announced.”
The Sebastopol shakeup is notable given the symbolic importance of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Crimea-based battlegroup has been home to the Russian empire’s warm-water warships since the late 18th century. --->READ MORE HERE
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| REUTERS/Stringer |
Russia's Black Sea fleet based in annexed Crimea has installed a new commander, RIA news agency cited sources as saying on Wednesday, after Russian military bases on the peninsula were rocked by explosions in the past nine days.
If confirmed, the removal of the previous commander Igor Osipov would mark the most prominent sacking of a military official in the nearly six months since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in which it has suffered heavy losses in men and equipment.
State-owned RIA cited the sources as saying the new chief, Viktor Sokolov, was introduced to members of the fleet's military council in the port of Sevastopol.
One source said it was "normal" that the appointment was not publicly announced at a time when Russia was conducting what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
The Black Sea Fleet, which has a revered history in Russia, has suffered several highly public humiliations in the course of the war that President Vladimir Putin launched on Feb. 24. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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