Putin reshuffles top Navy chiefs
The Russian Navy is undergoing major command-personnel changes, with a new commander-in-chief and two key fleet commanders introduced by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Tuesday. Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev, a distinguished naval officer and a former Northern Fleet commander was appointed by President Vladimir Putin to lead the nation’s naval forces.
Vice-admiral Konstantin Kabantsov, Moiseev’s deputy, will now replace him at the helm of the Northern Fleet, while Vice-admiral Sergey Pinchuk is to take over Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, citing a decree signed by Putin.
Shoigu congratulated the naval officers on their promotions, expressing hope that they will “live up to the tasks put forward by the Commander-in-Chief, the Defense Ministry and the nation,” according to the statement.
Moiseev began his military career as a submariner with the then-Soviet Northern Fleet in the early 1980s, becoming a submarine executive officer within ten years.
He was awarded an Order of Courage in the early 1990s for a mission which saw Russian flags planted at the North Pole. Just four years later, he took over as the commander of Delfin-class ballistic missile submarine K-407 Novomoskovsk.
In 1998, under Moiseev’s command, the submarine launched two satellites into Earth’s orbit while submerged, a historic first. In 2011, he was awarded the ‘Hero of Russia’ title –the nation’s highest military honor– after successful test launches of cutting-edge missile weapons.
He led the Russian Black Sea fleet between 2018 and 2019 before becoming the Northern Fleet commander later in 2019. He replaces Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov as commander of the Russian Navy. Yevmenov had occupied the post since 2019.
