Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and one of the top officers of the Russian Navy, appeared to participate in a video conference todayone day after Ukrainian special forces said they killed him.

In videos and photos released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sokolov appeared to be participating in a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other senior naval and infantry officers. The video was broadcast by Russian state television.

Ukrainian special forces yesterday claimed to have killed Sokolovalong with 33 other officers in a missile strike last week on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol.

Earlier today the Kremlin said it had no information on Ukrainian claims of Sokolov’s death. “There is no information on this issue from the Ministry of Defense”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier.

In a video released by the ministry, Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in September and that over 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, were destroyed.

“Ukrainian armed forces are suffering heavy losses along the entire front line”Shoigu said, adding that the Ukrainian counterattack has so far produced no results.

“The US and its allies continue to arm Ukraine’s armed forces, and the Kiev regime is slaughtering untrained soldiers in mindless attacks”Shoigu said.