Mystery as Russia releases ‘new’ footage of ‘killed’ commander Admiral Viktor Sokolov to prove he is ‘ALIVE’

THE commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was pictured “alive” just a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him. A picture released by the Russian defence ministry, Viktor Sokolov apparently is seen in a video conference with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top admirals and army chiefs. TwitterViktor Sokolov was spotted in a video conference one day after being reportedly killed[/caption] Ukraine’s special forces said on Monday they had killed the top Russian official Ukraine’s special forces said on Monday they had killed Sokolov, 61, Moscow’s top admiral in Crimea, along with 33 other officers in a missile attack last week on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol. It comes after Putin’s own officers were believed to have handed over intelligence to Ukraine which allowed it to launch the massive strike. The alleged betrayal from Putin’s own soldiers came as Admiral Sokolov had been meeting with other commanders for a war-planning session.  Sokolov had been handpicked by Putin to restore the fleet’s pride after the loss of flagship Moskva last year to Ukrainian Neptune missiles. Anti-Putin partisan group ATESH told the Kyiv Post they paid the soldiers who passed on the military intel leading to the deadly Black Sea strike as an “additional incentive”. ATESH said: “Delays in salary payments alone do not force the military armed forces of the Russian Federation to go against the Russian authorities.” The partisan group said the naval officers who leaked intelligence to them believe tyrant Putin is “waging a criminal war and that it needs to stop”. The spokesperson said: “The financial reward only helps them to decide on cooperation with the ATESH movement, it serves as an additional incentive.” The Crimean partisan group refused to say how much the Russian officers were paid but disclosed “it was enough to cover the risks for the officers and their families”. On Friday, footage showed black smoke billowing from the building in Crimea, which tyrant Putin illegally annexed in 2014, following a missile attack. A second strike was then launched on Saturday – with a clip showing the moment a British-supplied Storm Shadow missile hit the already-burning building in Sevastopol.