Putin appoints new Black Sea Fleet commander after heavy ship losses
Sergei Pinchuk (Russian media)
Dictator Vladimir Putin has appointed Sergei Pinchuk as the new commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, replacing Viktor Sokolov, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Shoigu conducted a selector meeting with the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces and brought Putin's decree, concerning personnel changes in the Russian Navy. Putin appointed:
- Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy;
- Vice Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov as the Commander of the Northern Fleet;
- Vice-Admiral Sergei Pinchuk as the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
Sergei Pinchuk
He was born on July 26, 1971, in Sevastopol, Crimea. In 1993, he began his officer service as the commander of the anti-aircraft missile battery of the BCh-2 destroyer squadron.
From December 2010, he served as the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Leningrad Naval Base. From September 20, 2016, to May 2021, he served as the commander of the Caspian Flotilla.
On May 9, 2021, he was appointed as the deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet. On October 5, 2021, he was appointed as the chief of Staff and first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
Former Black Sea Fleet commander
At the time of the invasion, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation was Igor Osipov, but he was later replaced by Viktor Sokolov.
Ukrainian special operations forces reported that as a result of the defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol in September of last year, 34 officers were killed, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov.
Later, the Ministry of Defense of Russia released footage of a collegium meeting, allegedly attended by the commander of the Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov.
In early March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force Sergei Kobylash and the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov. They are suspected of war crimes.
Destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
In April 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser. It sank shortly after.
At the end of last year, the Defense Forces destroyed the large landing ship Novocherkassk in the port of the occupied Feodosia.
On February 1, the Russian missile boat Ivanovets sank in the Black Sea near Crimea as a result of an attack by naval drones of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
