Resurrection: Russian commander Viktor Sokolov 'killed by Ukraine comes to life' in conference

Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov, who was reported by Ukrainian special forces to have been killed, appeared in a video conference the day after the alleged attack, Reuters reported. 

The Russian Defence Ministry released video footage and photographs showing Sokolov participating in a video conference alongside Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other high-ranking military officials. This display of Sokolov's presence was aired on Russian state television.

Ukraine's special forces had claimed responsibility for the supposed killing of Sokolov, who held a prominent position as Moscow's top admiral in Crimea. The alleged incident occurred during a missile strike targeting the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol.

Prior to the release of this video, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had refrained from commenting on the Ukrainian claim and directed reporters to the Russian defence ministry for information.

During the video conference, Defence Minister Shoigu mentioned that over 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September, and more than 2,700 weapons, including American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed. He also criticised the Ukrainian counter-offensive, stating that it had not yielded substantial results and accused the United States and its allies of arming the Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine's counter-offensive has struggled to make significant territorial gains against Russian forces, who currently control approximately 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory. 

Recent assessments from the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School indicated that Russia had gained territory from Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces had taken some territory from Russian forces in the past month.