Ukraine is now claiming that it did indeed "demilitarize" Admiral Viktor Sokolov during Friday's attack on the Russian headquarters in Sevastopol. “If true it would likely be the highest-ranking naval officer killed in combat since WWII,” said retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis. It could also be the single deadliest attack on senior naval leadership of a country possibly ever. In all, 34 high-ranking officers killed, with 105 injured.

UPDATE: Russia seems to be claiming that the Admiral is not dead.

Source: Kyiv Post

The Ukrainian military reported that it killed Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – as well as 34 officers – in a missile attack on his Sevastopol headquarters on Friday.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) made the announcement in a Telegram post on Monday, Sept. 25, in which it also reported extra details of a Ukrainian strike earlier this month which damaged the “Rostov-on-Don” submarine and the “Minsk” Large Landing Ship.

"After the defeat of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, 34 officers, including the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, died.

"The headquarters building cannot be restored."

In April 2022, Sokolov, 61, had been handpicked by Putin after the loss of the Moskva flagship to Ukrainian missiles.

Many asked how Ukraine got such sensitive information, the exact time and precise location of their meeting. (Storm Shadow missiles are said to be accurate within 3 meters and have a range of 250km). Well, they paid Russian officers for it, that's how.

Elsewhere, it has been revealed that Moscow’s inability to pay salaries on time to its naval servicemen also played a key role in last week’s devastating missile strike on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, according to Ukrainian partisans who helped plan the attack.

Speaking exclusively to Kyiv Post, the partisan movement of Ukrainians and Tatars in Crimea (ATESH) said it obtained key information about the location and activities of high-ranking Russian commanders from cash-strapped officers in exchange for financial rewards.

Maybe pay your officers next time. Oh well.

UPDATE: Russia released a video today of an apparently alive Sokolov, though he appears to be in a hospital bed. Weekend at Bernie's? Hard to tell.