Russian media release video showing “living” Black Sea Fleet commander again
Pravda Ukraine
On September 27, the Russian media shared a video showing Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, presenting awards to the football team that won the army championship. Photos and videos of Sokolov began to be published after the Special Operation Forces of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced his death.
Source: Russian federal TV channel Zvezda (“Star”); Russian channels and FC Chornomorets Sevastopol on Telegram and VK
Details: The Pervy Sevastopolsky channel reported that Sokolov was allegedly presenting awards to football players “at this moment”.
The Zvezda channel also posted a video commentary by Sokolov, in which he talked about the “feats” of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as the fact that the 810th Marine Brigade was awarded the Order of Admiral Fedor Ushakov.
However, there are no time markers on the video, and Sokolov does not mention any events that could approximately indicate the time of his statements, and, of course, he does not refute the media reports about his death.
Moreover, both events − the victory of FC Chornomorets and the awarding of the Order of Ushakov to the 810th Brigade, took place much earlier than the attack of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in occupied Sevastopol.
In particular, the so-called governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reported that the 810th Brigade was rewarded a month ago, on 29 August.
The championship, which the aforementioned football club won, took place on 18 September, that is, several days before the SOF’s attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Football Federation of the Russian Federation.
As for the awarding of athletes by such a high-ranking official, the administration of FC Chornomorets did not write anything on its website, on Telegram, or on VK.
At the same time, photos of the athletes taken after the competition were published on the website of the Crimean Football Union on 19 September, and all of them have medals very similar to those that Sokolov allegedly awarded them on 27 September.
On 20 September, a video of the awarding ceremony, probably recorded on the day of the victory, was published on the VK social network on the page of FC Chornomorets, in which the host says that the team’s meeting with the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is scheduled for 20 September in the Yekaterininsky Hall of the Black Sea Fleet Officers’ House.
In the video with Sokolov being “present” at the awards ceremony and in the video with his commentary, it can be seen that he is in the Yekaterininsky Hall of the Black Sea Fleet Officers’ House, judging by the typical chandeliers and walls.
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