Former Chief of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, Admiral Viktor Liina, appointed as new Chief of Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
Moscow has appointed new commanders to head its fleet in the Baltic and Pacific, Russian news agencies Interfax and TASS have reported.
Former head of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, Admiral Viktor Liina, is now in charge of the Pacific Fleet, news agencies reported Friday, and Vice Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov is the new commander of the fleet in the Baltics.
Liina replaces the previous head of the Pacific Fleet, Sergei Avakyants, whose surprise retirement was announced Thursday.
“The Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Vice Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov, has been appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet. The relevant documents have been signed,” Interfax reported Friday, citing military sources.
News of Avakyants’ removal caused a stir just days after the Pacific Fleet was ordered to take part in an unannounced major maneuver, reportedly to simulate Russian forces repelling a “theoretical enemy landing”, reported the Moscow Times.
Officially, the 65-year-old Avakyants retired as he had reached retirement age. Independent media, on the other hand, have pointed to the high losses suffered by parts of the fleet led by Avakyants in the war against Ukraine.
Vice Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov, a submarine officer, has been appointed commander of Russia’s Baltic Fleet. He replaces Vice Admiral Viktor Liina, also a submarine officer, who has taken over command of the Pacific Fleet.https://t.co/zB5IQ07seOhttps://t.co/vNpMypO71t pic.twitter.com/qDbgxVPDDP
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 21, 2023
The Pacific Fleet, which is based in the port of Vladivostok, has not commented on the redeployment, the Moscow Times added.
Russia has a total of four fleets. The largest is the so-called Northern Fleet, which includes a heavy aircraft carrier and two missile cruisers. The second largest fleet is the Pacific Fleet, followed by the Black Sea and Baltic Fleets.
Members of all four naval units also fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine – mostly as marines.
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said reports of Liina’s appointment as commander of the Pacific Fleets coincided with the completion of exercises by the fleet in the Pacific Ocean overseen by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy. Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov.
“ISW previously ruled that Avakyants’ dismissal may have resulted from his inability to replicate the Pacific Fleet’s pre-war, large-scale combat readiness checks due to the Pacific Fleet’s significant combat losses in Ukraine,” the think tank said on Friday.
In the future, Avakyants will lead an organization that oversees military training and patriotic education, state media reported.