Explosion in Berdiansk: State Duma confirms death of Russian General Tsokov

Andrey Gurulyov, a deputy of Russia’s State Duma and former commander of the Russian army, has confirmed that Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov has been killed in Ukraine.

Source: Meduza, Latvia-based Russian independent news outlet; BBC Russia

Details: On 11 July, occupied Berdiansk was rocked by a series of explosions. These included a strike on the Duna Hotel, where the Russian military command was based.

The Russians are claiming that the strike was carried out using long-range Storm Shadow missiles recently supplied to Ukraine by the West.

The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, announced that a Russian general had been killed at the Duna, and the Russian media has now confirmed that it was Oleg Tsokov, who commanded missile strikes on Ukraine.

BBC Russia reported that the shelling of Berdiansk was mentioned by propagandist Olga Skabeyeva in her talk show 60 Minutes. During the show, Gurulyov told her that Tsokov "died heroically" in the attack.

According to anonymous Telegram channels, Tsokov held the post of deputy commander of the Southern Military District. There was no official announcement about this appointment; however, as has been noted, if Tsokov had been appointed to this position, it would explain why he was in Berdiansk and came under fire.

Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian website focused on investigative journalism, has calculated that Tsokov is the seventh general whose death has been confirmed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

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