White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the White House is aware of reports of footage showing Admiral of the Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov alive despite Ukraine previously reporting him dead.
"We’ve seen the reports, and certainly we are — we are aware of the video. I just don’t have anything to confirm at this time. But obviously, we’re aware of the reports."
Russia's Defense Ministry published a video on Sept. 26 of a meeting between military leadership with Admiral Sokolov, previously reported by Ukraine as killed, joining the meeting through a video call. The Kyiv Independent couldn't immediately verify the date the meeting took place.
Sokolov is only seen on the screen and does not speak throughout the video.
The Special Operations Forces Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces announced that last week's strike against the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea killed 34 Russian officers, including Sokolov.
Alexander Khrebet
