With less than convincing evidence of Admiral Sokolov still being alive provided by Russia (a badly edited video seen here where he didn't speak, and another that was put up and then quickly taken down again of him meeting a football team, only to find out it was from Sept 18, four days before the attack, we're left with no real evidence of his whereabouts.

Since news of his death would be highly problematic and counterproductive to the war effort, the Russians are said to be looking at other, more creative ways to explain his disappearance. Russian partisans in Crimea state that the orders would be to pin the attack on the headquarters on Sokolov himself. And if that sounds far-fetched and insane, a reminder that the Russians subscribe to Goebbels' maxim that if you're going to tell a lie to your people tell a big one. Time will tell if it pans out or not.

Source: Kyiv Post

Partisans operating in the Sevastopol area have told the Kyiv Post that the Russian-installed Crimean administration has received orders from the Kremlin to begin attacking the reputation of the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF), Viktor Sokolov.

“Rozvozhaev [Russian appointed governor of Sevastopol] brought an order from Moscow on the need to spread rumors that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet Sokolov conspired with the Defense Forces of Ukraine to destroy its headquarters,” according to a representative of the ATESH partisan movement.

According to the picture being painted at Moscow’s behest, Sokolov had arranged the attack to cover up the fact that he and his deputy were responsible for the theft of food products because audit inspections were planned and he was concerned he would be caught.

ATESH also said that the Sevastopol administration had been instructed not to provide real data on casualties among the military.

Ukrainians aren't waiting around though, and have taken to mocking Russians for their actions so far to hide the truth about Admiral Sokolov.