Ukrainian special forces claimed Monday that they had killed a senior admiral of Moscow in Crimea along with 33 other officers in the missile attack last week on the command centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol.

However, there has been no comment from Moscow to confirm or deny that Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia’s most senior navy leaders, had been killed.

However, to counter Ukraine’s escalating strikes on Crimea, a crucial region serving as a base from which Russia has launched the majority of its air attacks on Ukraine during the 19-month conflict, Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol were taking further precautions.