Ukraine said the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was among those killed Friday in a missile strike that targeted the fleet’s headquarters in Crimea, the latest significant loss in the Russian military top ranks if it proves true.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in an update on its Telegram social media site that Admiral Viktor Sokolov was among 35 Russian naval personnel who were killed in the attack while another 105 were wounded.

The Telegram update did not identify Admiral Sokolov by name, however, and his death has yet to be confirmed by Russian officials. Russia’s press did not mention the loss and said only one person had been killed in the strike.

The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said the strike was launched during a senior staff meeting inside the Black Sea Fleet headquarters building located in what it referred to as “temporary occupied Sevastopol.”

“The headquarters building cannot be restored,” they said.

On Monday, retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO commander, called the missile strike “a remarkable achievement” that eliminated a top Russian official and several senior subordinates.

“I believe you have to go back to [World War II] to find another admiral killed in combat,” Admiral Stavridis said on Twitter. 

Admiral Sokolov was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet in August 2022 after the force suffered significant losses to Ukrainian shelling, including the sinking of the fleet’s flagship, the cruiser Moskva, in April of that year.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.