- Russia appoints new commander for its Black Sea fleet based in Crimea.
- Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov replaces Igor Osipov, who served in that capacity since May 2019.
- Russian military facilities in Crimea have recently suffered heavy losses and a string of explosions.
Russia has appointed a new commander for its Black Sea fleet, which is based in the territory that it annexed, Crimea, Russia’s state news agency, reported on Friday.
According to TASS, Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov has taken over command of the Black Sea fleet from Igor Osipov, who had served in that capacity since May 2019.
Since the year 2020, Sokolov had been serving as the chief of the Naval Academy. Between the years 2013 and 2020, he held the position of deputy commander of the Northern Fleet.
A change in command has taken place at Russian military facilities in occupied Crimea, which are located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. These facilities have recently suffered heavy losses and a string of explosions.
Losses have been incurred by Moscow’s Black Sea fleet ever since the beginning of Russia’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. In particular, Ukraine claimed in April that its missiles were responsible for the sinking of Russia’s flagship warship, the Moskva. Russia asserts that the warship sank because of a fire that led to the explosion of its munitions.
