Commander of the Black Sea Fleet to be dismissed after Ceasar Kunikov disaster

Rybar Telegram channel said that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, could be removed from his position.

There was no official comment on the matter from the Defence Ministry yet.

According to Rybar, the person who may have replace Admiral Sokolov as acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet has already been found. Reportedly, this could be Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk.

Viktor Sokolov was appointed to the post of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet in September 2022. Military correspondents linked his possible dismissal with the alleged attack on the Caesar Kunikov large landing ship.

On February 14, Ukrainian publications said that the General Staff of Ukraine reported the destruction of the Russian ship in the Black Sea.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the possible attack on the Russian warship and redirected reporters to the Defence Ministry. The department has not released any official comment about the situation with the Caesar Kunikov.