As of: February 16, 2024, 1:14 p.m
By: Simon Schröder
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Press
Split
Russia's navy continues to suffer setbacks in the Ukraine war.
Putin fires his fleet commander in light of current losses.
Moscow - Russia's long-held fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, has been dismissed from his post.
According to initial reports, the Russian admiral was killed in an attack on Crimea in September during the Ukraine war.
A few days later, Russia released a video that appears to show the admiral, who was believed to be dead, at a Russian Defense Ministry video conference.
Two pro-Russian Telegram bloggers confirmed Sokolov's firing, according to
the Kyiv Post
.
His successor is Vice Admiral, Sergei Pinchuk.
The “Zesar Kunikov” off Istanbul, Türkiye on December 14, 2015 © Sedat Suna
Putin's fleet is increasingly in poor condition - high levels of wear and tear on the Russian leadership
Sokolov's dismissal follows the destruction of the Russian warship and landing ship Zesar Kunikov and the corvette Ivanovets.
The admiral therefore suffers the same fate as his predecessor, Igor Osipov.
Osipov was fired after the Russian Navy flagship Moscow sank last April.
The “Zesar Kunikov” is another bitter loss for the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Vladimir Putin's maritime sovereignty off the Crimean coast is crumbling.
The condition of the Russian fleet gradually deteriorated under Admiral Sokolow's leadership.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Black Sea Fleet consisted of 80 warships.
According to the Ukrainian military, a total of 25 Russian ships, as well as boats and a Russian submarine, were destroyed or disabled.
The new types of sea drones in particular appear to be very effective in the fight against the Russian navy.
Sea drones extremely effective in the Ukraine war
The Magura V5 sea drones are small unmanned boats that can be loaded with up to 320 kilograms of explosives and steered to the target from a safe distance by the Ukrainian military, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation.
In addition, the shape of the drone makes it difficult to detect on radar.
The remote-controlled speedboats are increasingly turning out to be a key weapon in the Ukrainian fight against Russian maritime sovereignty.
Putin's fleet is gradually being pushed out of the Black Sea.
Only five large landing ships remain off the Crimean peninsula, Ukrainian spokesman Dmitro Pletenchuk told the press.
(Simon Schröder)