New video of ‘dead’ Russian Black Sea fleet commander raises doubts over Ukraine’s claim
A top Russian naval officer who Ukraine claimed was killed in a missile strike has been seen in a new video released by Russia, sparking confusion among the war-hit country’s officials. Ukraine’s special forces on Monday had claimed Russian admiral Viktor Sokolov and 33 other officers were killed in a missile strike carried out on the Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol in Crimea. The video released by Russia’s defence ministry on Tuesday, however, showed Black Sea Fleet commander Sokolov appearing on a video conference call with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu. It remains unclear when the video was recorded. While it is not clear how Ukraine counted casualties in the Sevastopol operation, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, had earlier posted the admiral’s name and photo on social media. Ukraine now says it is working to “clarify” earlier reports. Russia has not issued any direct rebuttal of Ukraine’s claims, which is consistent with its stance of maintaining silence on significant battlefield losses. “As is known, 34 officers were killed as a result of a missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. Available sources claim that among the dead was the commander of the Russian Army. Many still have not been identified due to the disparity of body fragments,” Ukraine’s special forces said on their official Telegram channel. “Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish an answer with an apparently alive Sokolov, our units are clarifying the information,” it said. The video from Tuesday showed defence minister Shoigu talking about a drill he claimed Russia’s Pacific fleet had completed a day earlier, as several top officers appeared on a big screen in the room. Admiral Sokolov is also seen in a video screen but in a different location, with only a flag seen in the backdrop behind him. He is also not heard speaking in the video. While this appears to be a signal from Moscow that the admiral is still alive, Russia has not released any details to prove when the video conference took place. In its earlier update on the Sevastopol strike, Ukraine’s special forces said the air force fired 12 missiles on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters as it targeted areas where personnel, military equipment and weapons were concentrated. Two anti-aircraft missile systems and four Russian artillery units were hit, special forces said. It was a rare direct claim of responsibility from Ukraine for an attack on either Russian soil or a target in Crimea, which Russia has occupied since its illegal annexation in 2014. Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol are reported to be taking extra defensive measures in the face of Ukraine’s increased attacks on Crimea in recent days. Sevastopol is a critical region providing a platform from which Russia has launched many of its air attacks on Ukraine in the 19-month-long war. Read More Russia remains silent as Ukraine claims Black Sea Fleet commander among 34 officers killed Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in navy attack’ as Ukraine breakthrough triggers ‘panic’ Russia’s Lavrov rubbishes Ukraine peace plan and warns conflict will be resolved on battlefield Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin planning new ‘assault units’ despite Moscow’s ‘mobilisation issues’
2023-09-27 14:54
Takeaways from AP report on Maui fire investigation
Melted remains of an old car tire
2023-09-27 14:50
Qatar Airways executive says invasive gynecological examinations of passengers won't be repeated
A senior Qatar Airways executive has told an Australian Senate inquiry that there would be no repeat of an incident at Doha’s international airport in 2020 in which female passengers were subjected to invasive gynecological examinations
2023-09-27 14:49
DNA testing leads to exoneration of California man imprisoned nearly 3 decades on kidnapping and sexual assault convictions
After a California man spent nearly three decades in prison for kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery convictions, new DNA testing has revealed he was innocent of those crimes, a prosecutor announced.
2023-09-27 14:48
How did the Maui fire spread so quickly? Overgrown gully, stubborn embers may be key to probe
Melted remains of an old car tire
2023-09-27 14:47
Hillary Clinton mocks Putin over Nato expansion: ‘Too bad, Vladimir. You brought it on yourself’
Hillary Clinton mocked Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for his concerns about Nato’s expansion and said the Russian president “brought it on himself” with his invasion of Ukraine. "Defending democracy in Ukraine, expanding Nato – just as an aside, too bad Vladimir, you brought it on yourself," the former US secretary of state said, prompting laughter and applause. Ms Clinton was speaking at the State Department where she unveiled her official portrait and addressed current and former officials in the ornate Benjamin Franklin State Dining room. "We always said, ‘people are not forced to join Nato. People choose and want to join Nato,’" she added. The top leader also took shots at the policies of Republican former president Donald Trump, who defeated her in the 2016 US presidential election. She added that there may have been questions raised on Washington’s ability to gather support for its aid for Ukraine to fend off Russian invasion due to Mr Trump’s legacy of alienating allies. "People might have doubted that because we had burned so many bridges with our allies and our friends," she said. "Reinstating a foreign policy... that actually brings people to us, not pushes them away, would have been thought to be extremely difficult. And indeed it was, but it was accomplished," she said and thanked her successor secretary of state Antony Blinken for "helping to restore America’s standing". Ms Clinton said the current Biden administration pursued many of the priorities of the Obama administration, in which she was the top US diplomat. Talking about the common Biden and Obama priorities, she described the mutual concerns of "expanding Nato, facing down Russian aggression and managing the challenges from China" as she took a dig at the Russian president who has long complained of Nato’s expansion in Europe and blamed it as a motive for his invasion of Ukraine. The top former official joked that it had been a long time since she had seen the portrait, which depicted her gazing into the distance against the backdrop of an enlarged American flag. "Between Covid, between not wanting to finish it during the prior administration," she said with a meaningful glance at the audience, drawing laughter, "it’s been a while. And I am going to be probably as surprised as all of you". Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin planning new ‘assault units’ despite Moscow’s ‘mobilisation issues’ Ukrainian forces ‘enjoy success’ near Bakhmut as Putin deploys reserves Hillary Clinton makes quip about Trump administration as her portrait is unveiled Donald Trump’s play for union votes leaves the GOP in a confusing spot once again
2023-09-27 14:46
Powerball jackpot of $835 million -- which would be the game's fourth-largest -- is up for grabs Wednesday night
Powerball players will vie for an estimated $835 million jackpot during Wednesday night's drawing.
2023-09-27 14:29
xQc calls out 'Snow White' star Rachel Zegler for her provocative remarks on legendary show: 'It's Jaden Smith 2.0'
Rachel Zegler's casting as Snow White stirred controversy, with xQc criticizing her outspokenness and drawing comparisons to Jaden Smith
2023-09-27 14:25
Joe Rogan shares his thoughts on Conor McGregor's MMA comeback following leg injury: 'If anybody can do it, maybe it’s him'
Joe Rogan examined Conor McGregor's potential to become the first boxer to successfully return from a leg injury
2023-09-27 14:21
Forbes Top Creators 2023: Olivia Dunne, Alix Earle, MrBeast and Jake Paul among others listed as most influential social media stars
Forbes determined the rankings of creators based on several factors such as earnings, entrepreneurship and engagement
2023-09-27 14:19
S Jaishankar: India asks Canada for information on Sikh leader's murder
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said India was open to looking into any "specific" details on the killing.
2023-09-27 13:58
India Sticks to Borrowing Plan After JPMorgan Index Inclusion
India’s government maintained its borrowing plan for the remainder of this fiscal year, as higher revenues obviate the
2023-09-27 13:52
