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London — Russian The Black Sea Fleet, based in annexed Crimea, has installed a new commander after explosions over the past nine days rocked Russian military bases on the peninsula, RIA news agency said on Wednesday, citing sources.
The confirmed dismissal of former commander Igor Osipov would be the most prominent military dismissal in nearly six months since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
His state-owned RIA, citing sources, said the new chief, Viktor Sokolov, was introduced to members of the fleet's military council in the port of Sevastopol.
One source said it was "normal" for the appointment not to be publicly announced at a time when Russia was conducting what it called a special military operation in Ukraine.
The Black Sea Fleet, which has a history of being revered in Russia, has suffered some very public humiliations over the course of the war that President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24.
In April, Ukraine attacked its lead warship, Moscow, with Neptune missiles, burning and sinking it.
Last week, the Saki airbase in southwestern Crimea, near the fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, was devastated by a series of explosions that destroyed eight fighter jets, according to satellite imagery.
30}And on Tuesday, a blast rocked an ammunition depot at a military base in the northern part of the peninsula. Russia called it sabotage and implied that Ukraine was responsible.
On Wednesday, Russia's FSB security service said it had detained six members of what it called an Islamist terrorist organization in Crimea, but whether they were suspected of involvement in the explosion. He didn't say what.
Proud History
The Black Sea Fleet is much larger than the Ukrainian navy and has been a source of national pride since its creation in 1783 under Empress Catherine II. .
Crimea, which Russia seized from her Ukraine in 2014 and has been extensively fortified since, is a Russian invading force occupying southern Ukraine, which Kyiv plans to counterattack in the coming weeks. provide a major supply route to
The fleet has blocked Ukrainian ports and blocked important grain exports since the start of her February war, but under an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, , exports are just starting to move again.
The fact that Ukraine appeared to be able to mount a devastating attack on what Moscow saw as a secure rear fortress served as a morale-boosting coup for Kyiv. 46}
Former commander Osipov, 49, has been in command since May 2019, according to his official biography on the Ministry of Defense website.
Sokolov, 60, has extensive experience in commanding minesweepers and minesweeping units in the 1980s and 1990s, and has since held a series of posts in the Pacific and Northern Fleets. and served as deputy commander of the Northern Fleet. Since 2020, he heads a prestigious military academy. (Reporting by Reuters, Editing by David Holmes and Alex Richardson)
