Ukraine/Russia

Is the commander-in-chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet dead or alive? That question was not answered Thursday, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during his visit to Ukraine. On Monday, Ukrainian special forces claimed that Viktor Sokolov was among the dead in an attack on the naval headquarters on the peninsula of Crimea. The attack happened last week. “34 officers were killed, including the commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet. 105 other occupiers were wounded,” special forces wrote Monday on several social media sites.
     But on Tuesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry released photos and video of Sokolov where he was seen participating in a video meeting. The ministry claims that the meeting took place on Tuesday. The day after Ukraine’s death report. Whether Sokolov is dead or alive, Zelensky said: “I will ask our authorities about it.”/ritzau/