Russia probably dismissed its Black Sea Fleet commander over heavy losses in latest weeks, in keeping with a brand new evaluation, shortly after Ukraine dramatically focused one in every of Moscow’s patrol ships near Russian territory.
“Possible due to Black Sea Fleet losses, on 15 February 2024, the Black Sea Fleet Commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was dismissed,” the British Protection Ministry mentioned in a publish to social media on Wednesday.
Sources linked to the Russian state had reported in mid-February that Sokolov was sacked as head of the Black Sea Fleet after Ukraine destroyed the Caesar Kunikov, a Ropucha-class touchdown ship, utilizing naval drones. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Protection Ministry for remark.
Stringer/AFP through Getty Photos
Early on Tuesday, Ukraine’s army intelligence company, generally known as the GUR, revealed footage showing to point out homegrown Magura V5 waterborne drones barreling into the Sergei Kotov, one in every of Russia’s 4 Mission 22160 patrol ships. The vessel was close to the Kerch Strait, Kyiv mentioned, and native sources reported the closure of the Kerch Bridge in a single day.
The vessel “suffered injury to the strict, proper and left sides,” the GUR added in an announcement. Russia’s Protection Ministry didn’t reply to a Newsweek remark request.
Seven Russian sailors have been killed and 27 crew members injured, Kyiv mentioned in an replace on Wednesday.
“There aren’t any protected harbors for Russian terrorists within the Black Sea and there’ll by no means be,” Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, mentioned on Tuesday.
“That is the third Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel sunk prior to now 5 weeks,” the U.Okay. authorities mentioned of the Sergei Kotov on Wednesday.
Russia has taken bruising losses to its Black Sea Fleet, primarily based on the Crimean peninsula, at Ukraine’s fingers since February 2022, regardless of Kyiv’s small naval drive. Though Russian forces have inched westward throughout mainland Ukraine in latest weeks, Ukraine has maintained its success in putting beneficial Russian belongings within the Black Sea.
Ukrainian naval drones destroyed Russia’s missile-armed corvette Ivanovets in February, and have efficiently attacked a handful of Russia’s touchdown ships, together with the Caesar Kunikov. Ukraine’s persistent assaults have pushed Russia east within the Black Sea, transferring belongings to its Novorossiysk base. Studies have additionally steered the Kremlin is planning a new army base on the port of Ochamchire in Abkhazia, a breakaway area of Georgia. This could put Russian Black Sea belongings even farther from Ukraine’s shoreline.
On Tuesday, The Hague-based Worldwide Prison Courtroom (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sokolov and in addition Sergei Kobylash, the commander of Russia’s long-range aviation of the nation’s air drive, for alleged warfare crimes dedicated between October 2022 and March 2023.
The worldwide court docket, which isn’t acknowledged by Moscow, mentioned the commanders have been allegedly liable for crimes together with “directing assaults at civilian objects.”
“There are cheap grounds to imagine that the 2 suspects bear duty for missile strikes carried out by the forces beneath their command in opposition to the Ukrainian electrical infrastructure from at the very least 10 October 2022 till at the very least 9 March 2023,” the ICC mentioned.
“We do not acknowledge this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Wednesday.
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Newsweek is dedicated to difficult typical knowledge and discovering connections within the seek for frequent floor.
Newsweek is dedicated to difficult typical knowledge and discovering connections within the seek for frequent floor.
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