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| Russia Sacks Commander of the Black Sea Fleet After Explosion Destroys Ammunition Depot In Crimea |
Moscow - Russia has replaced the commander of the Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet, state news agencies reported Wednesday (17/8/2022). The move came after a series of explosions rocked the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
Crimea was previously considered a safe back base for Russia's war on Ukraine. Moscow blamed saboteurs for an explosion that destroyed an ammunition depot in northern Crimea on Tuesday. "Plumes of smoke were then seen rising over the second Russian military base in central Crimea," Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported.
Ukraine has not officially admitted responsibility but has hinted at it. Ukraine's apparent ability to strike deeper into Russian-occupied territory, with multiple weapons or through sabotage, represents a shift in the conflict.
The explosion also destroyed a warplane at the Russian Naval air base in Crimea last week. On Wednesday, Russia's RIA news agency quoted sources as saying the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Igor Osipov, had been replaced with a new commander, Viktor Sokolov.
If confirmed, the move would mark one of the most prominent dismissals of a military official so far in the war, in which Russia has suffered heavy losses in terms of personnel and equipment. RIA quoted sources as saying the new commander was introduced to members of the fleet's military council in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
The Black Sea Fleet, which has a distinguished history in Russia, has endured several humiliations since President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow described as a "special military operation" on February 24.
In April, Ukraine attacked its flagship, the Moskva, a large cruiser, with Neptune missiles. It became the largest warship sunk in combat over the past 40 years. Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014 and has been extensively strengthened since then, provides a key supply route for Russian troops in southern Ukraine, where Kiev is planning a counteroffensive in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian military intelligence said after the recent explosions in Crimea, Russian forces immediately moved some of their planes and helicopters deeper into the peninsula and to airfields inside Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kiev to stay away from Russian military bases and ammunition depots and said the explosion could have been caused by a variety of causes, including incompetence. "But they all mean the same thing, destroying the logistics of the invaders, their ammunition, military and other equipment, and command posts, saving the lives of our people," he said in an evening speech on Tuesday.