RIA Novosti: vice admiral Viktor Sokolov appointed new commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov has been appointed the new commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, state news agency RIA Novosti Crimea reports, citing sources in the fleet.

“He was introduced to the members of the military council. There was no public event, and there likely won’t be, due to the yellow terrorist threat level declared in the region,” the source said.

Another source of RIA Novosti Crimea said that “no one is obliged to announce such appointments publicly in the conditions of the special military operation of the Russian Federation”.

Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov served as deputy commander of the Northern Fleet from 2013 to 2020, deputy commander and then commander of the Primorye Flotilla of All-Arms Forces of the Russian Pacific Fleet from 2006 to 2012, and the head of the operations division of the Pacific Fleet headquarters from 1999 to 2000. In 2020, Sokolov headed the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy.

The Black Sea Fleet was previously headed by Admiral Igor Osipov.

On 13 April, Ukraine reported that two Neptune missiles had hit the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the warship was seriously damaged “as a result of detonated ammunition” caused by a fire onboard the ship. On April 14, Russia confirmed that the Moskva cruiser had sunk while being towed during a storm.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, one crew member of the Moskva died and 27 are considered missing.

Earlier, Novaya Gazeta. Europe interviewed the mother of a conscript who served on the Moskva cruiser. Her son survived and contacted her the day after the cruiser had sunk. According to the woman, “about 40 people” had died in the sinking of the Moskva, and many were injured. A source in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet told Meduza news outlet that 37 people had died in the sinking of the cruiser, and about 100 were injured.