The Tipping Point in the Ukrainian War: The Death of Admiral Viktor Sokolov
For a conflict that has witnessed a kaleidoscope of tactics and maneuvers, the Ukrainian War has now reached a fulcrum moment that could very well change the face of modern warfare as we know it. The Ukrainian military announced the killing of Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, in a devastating missile strike on the fleet’s headquarters in annexed Crimea. It’s the kind of audacious move that earns a side more than just tactical gains; it rattles the very core of an enemy’s strategic poise.
You see, Sevastopol, the epicenter of the Black Sea Fleet, isn’t just a naval base. It’s a fortress, a symbol of Russia’s dominion over Crimea and its ambition to maintain influence in the Black Sea. The siege and ultimate capture of Sevastopol in the Crimean War by the British, French, and Turks humiliated Imperial Russia. The city endured a horrific siege in World War II, only to emerge as a Hero City of the Soviet Union. For this bastion to come under successful attack, and for its commanding officer to be killed, is as much a psychological blow as it is a military one.
ut let’s not forget the kind of ordnance the Ukrainians used. These weren’t crude rockets fired off the back of a truck. We’re talking about Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles launched from Sukhoi SU-24 jets, and Neptune anti-ship missiles of Ukrainian manufacture, adapted for striking land targets.
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