Putin FIRES Pacific fleet admiral in sign that Vladimir was furious military drills were a flop
Putin BURNS Admiral of the Pacific Fleet on fire as a sign Vladimir was furious Military exercises designed to send a message to the West were a flop
- PUtin fired Admiral Sergei Avakyants, 66, the commander of his Pacific Fleet
- His resignation is a sign that Putin had discovered a failure in military exercises
Vladimir Putin today dramatically fired an admiral in charge of his Pacific fleet, a sign that the Russian despot is furious that military exercises designed to send a message of strength to the West failed.
Putin fired Admiral Sergei Avakyants, 66, the commander of his Pacific fleet, because the massive military exercises he had apparently overseen were still underway.
The move to abolish Avakyants was confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev.
His resignation is a sign that Putin had discovered a failure in the military exercises intended as a show of strength for the West.
Avakyants has been the head of the Pacific Fleet since May 2012 and has been transferred to a backroom in Moscow, where he is responsible for military sports training and patriotic training.
Putin fired Admiral Sergei Avakyants, 66, (pictured) the commander of his Pacific fleet, as the massive military exercises he had apparently supervised were still underway
The Gromky corvette and Pacific Fleet anti-submarine ships conducted live-fire exercises in the Sea of Japan
Russian strategic and multi-purpose nuclear submarines deployed to the Pacific as part of a surprise inspection of the Pacific fleet’s combat readiness on Tuesday
The surprise firing – signaling Putin’s wrath with his top man – came after the Kremlin dictator ordered a sudden check of the combat readiness of his Pacific fleet.
Officially, the exercises around Japan’s disputed islands were hailed as a success, but Avakyants’ dismissal is a sign that Putin was furious that the exercises were a flop.
The exercises continue – despite Avakyants’ dismissal. No replacement was announced.
The admiral – one of Russia’s most respected naval officers – was awarded the Order of Naval Merit and the Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR.
He was seen as a close ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu who had announced the combat readiness exercises.
Last year, the fleet won awards as the most highly trained of Putin’s naval fleets.
Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, led the war games today and told reporters that lessons learned in the conflict in Ukraine had been applied to the exercises in the Pacific.
“During these exercises, our mariners, coastal missile systems use the combat experience gained in the course of the special military operation,” Yevmenov said.
Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (center), Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants (right) pictured in 2016 in Russia’s Far East
Vladimir Putin sent two Tu-95MS nuclear bombers (pictured) over the Bering and Okhotsk seas near Japan on Wednesday
Wednesday saw Russian nuclear bombers display their power for a second consecutive day amid deep tensions with the West.
Eight Tu-22M3 bombers flew over neutral waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, Russian defense sources said.
The aircraft can carry several nuclear missiles.
A day earlier, two Tu-95MS nuclear bombers flew over the Bering and Okhotsk seas.
The Russian war games include submarine assault exercises and live fire exercises at sea.
They seemed mainly to be a warning to the US, South Korea and Japan, which organized joint naval missile defense exercises in the region.
Russia is eager to show that it can still use force in the Pacific, despite its army being stretched and exhausted by the protracted war in Ukraine, now in its 14th month.