The command of the Baltic Fleet fired for "omissions" and "distortion"
“For serious omissions in combat training, as well as misrepresentation in the reports of the real state of affairs”, the key leaders of the Baltic have been removed from office and presented for dismissal fleet. There have been no dismissals with similar wordings for all the latest history Russian Navy. What happens in the oldest Russian navy?
It became known about the removal of high-ranking military after the meeting of the Ministry of Defense in the center "Patriot". During the visiting session of the military department, the results of the inspection of military units, as well as formations and command of the Baltic Fleet were reviewed, RIA “News».
It is noted that the inspection was conducted from 11 May to 10 June on the instructions of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. This is an unprecedented period of time: usually such checks take much less time.
Tough wording
“The head of the military department and members of the collegium of the Ministry of Defense gave tough and principled assessments of the activities of officials who committed serious shortcomings in service. According to the results of the inspection and discussion at the collegium, the commander of the Baltic Fleet, the chief of staff of the fleet and a number of officials for the omissions in combat training, as well as the distortion of the real state of affairs in the reports, were dismissed by the Minister of Defense from their duties. They are submitted for dismissal and dismissal from military service, ”the Ministry of Defense reported.
“Officials are punished for serious omissions in the organization of combat training for the daily activities of the troops, the failure to take all necessary measures to improve the accommodation conditions of personnel, and a lack of concern for subordinates,” the report says.
“The Minister of Defense instructed in the shortest possible time to approve a plan for the elimination of deficiencies, implement it and carry out a re-check of the Baltic Fleet at the end of this year,” reports TASS news service of the ministry’s press service.
What happened? What exactly are the reasons for such tough personnel decisions by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense? It can be assumed that the commission was confronted with the blatant facts of the fleet's lack of readiness, firstly, and it included people who were not interested in hiding these facts, and secondly. To some extent, this can be associated with a change in the command and control system of the Armed Forces. Previously, all such commissions came to any of the fleets from the Main Board of the Navy, which was interested in concealing the identified shortcomings within its own department. However, as a result of the reforms of Serdyukov – Makarov, the Navy lost such autonomy and specialists and commanders who were not affiliated with shop and naval solidarity could join the commission. Now the Baltic Fleet is subordinate to the command of the Western District, and not the Main Command of the Navy.
"Increasing the combat potential"
Recently, the Baltic Fleet has been purposefully strengthened due to the activity of NATO forces in this region. At least, this is stated publicly. At the end of April, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the actions of the United States and NATO, including the deployment of infrastructure at the borders of Russia, are forcing to take adequate military-technical response measures. Thus, over the past three years, two warships, six boats of various purposes, the latest salvo-fire systems and air defense systems have arrived in the formations and military units of the Baltic Fleet.
Recall also that the United States and NATO on the eve of the Baltic held large exercises Baltops 2016. Shortly before they were held in the fleet, a rumor began to spread about the German submarine allegedly entered the zone of responsibility of the Baltic Fleet. As the soldiers familiar with the situation report, the ship left the water area unhindered, which caused anger in the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and questioned the professional suitability of the Baltic Fleet leadership.
Increasing the combat potential seems to be required not only by the Baltic Fleet, but also the most important thing - the Northern Fleet. Thus, experts in the industry noted that of all the top nine warships of the first rank, only two are currently in a state of alert. Others are in reserve or in long repair.
It is interesting that quite recently the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Viktor Chirkov, left his post for health reasons. His place was taken by Vladimir Korolev, the commander of the above-mentioned Northern Fleet, who was called the person from the Shoigu team.
As the vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Konstantin Sivkov said about this, the state of health was hardly the reason for leaving Chirkov. “I don’t take it precisely, I don’t know the details, but they say that Chirkov had certain differences with the management,” he had told the VIEW newspaper before.
Another interesting point: earlier Viktor Chirkov was the commander of the Baltic Fleet. Viktor Kravchuk, now detached, was at that time his deputy.
Baltic exercises
The strategic importance of the Baltic Fleet has led to the intensification of military exercises in this theater. Recall that in early May in the Kaliningrad region at the Khmelevka training range, exercises were conducted on the landing of an amphibious assault force on an unequipped coast.
“In total, around 10 surface ships, boats and support vessels of the Baltic Fleet, more than 10 units of BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, as well as about 150 troops of the Baltic Fleet naval forces, were involved in the exercise,” Baltic Fleet representatives noted. On April 14, the corvette “Boky” and the patrol ship “Yaroslav the Wise” carried out artillery firing at sea and air targets in the Baltic Sea water area.
In addition, on April 22, the same ships conducted exercises to destroy submarines. The Boyky Corvette and the Yaroslav the Wise patrol ship in cooperation with the Ka-27PL marine anti-submarine helicopters aviation The Baltic Fleet was discovered and conditionally destroyed the "enemy" submarine during the exercises. Along with this, warships performed artillery firing at surface targets, and anti-submarine helicopter pilots completed landing on the decks of ships.
Baltic Puddle Commander
Admiral Viktor Kravchuk, who was sent to resign, received an inconsistent nickname from his subordinates. “We called him the Commander of the Baltic Puddle,” say Kravchuk's subordinates, who served under his predecessors Komoyedov, Valuev, Egorov and Chirkov. - Not because the sea is shallow, just the technical condition of the fleet is not subject to any criticism. He just dropped us below the puddle. During the inspection of the Ministry of Defense, the submarine was attempted to be pulled out of the breakwaters, they just pulled out - the smoke went, they immediately brought it back. If now Shoigu announces a readiness check, a big embarrassment will happen. ”
Kravchuk was remembered primarily for his outrageous behavior. He twice became the main anti-hero of the Victory parades, for which the commander of the Baltic Fleet is personally responsible for holding them in the capital of the western province.
“When preparing for the parade in 2013, the Cossacks were surprised to learn that they would be led by Sergey Danilevsky,” recalls Cossack colonel, combat veteran Valery Baslyk. “Everyone was outraged to no small degree, since several months earlier this citizen was exposed as a fake veteran of the Afghan war and a fake order carrier. When we began to ask questions, we were answered: this is how Kravchuk decided. ”
The official request, signed by the Cossacks and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, received a no less official response: no one will remove Sergey Danilevsky from the parade. However, the scandal in the federal press that broke out on this occasion at the last moment forced Viktor Kravchuk to change the decision.
But two years later, the admiral showed unprecedented firmness, with the result that the ceremonial "box" of soldiers-internationalists defiantly left the front rows five minutes before the solemn passage. “When preparing for the anniversary Victory Parade, our organization made an official request to the commander with a request to consider the possibility of participation in the significant event of veterans of Afghanistan currently living in Germany,” Anatoly Kovalev, deputy chairman of the Association of Soldiers-Internationalists of the Kaliningrad region, told the VZGLYAD newspaper. - Presented a list of names, list of combat awards. Almost immediately, good was received, after which we contacted our friends who moved to permanent residence in Germany and invited them to come to Kaliningrad in April. ” As a result, more than 20 veterans arrived.
“In the first two trainings, our combined regiment was among the best,” recalls the commander of the ceremonial box, Major General Vladimir Michurin. - And at the end of the general rehearsal, the commandant of the garrison approached us and handed the order to the commander: the Germans must leave the line. I, frankly, was taken aback. We were offered to betray the guys with whom we shed blood on one war. ”
The internationalists decided not to escalate the situation and, in due time, the full staff arrived at the parade. However, Michurin was again voiced by Kravchuk’s ultimatum, after which the Afghan “box” defiantly refused to go through with a solemn march.
Dangerous Liaisons
The indiscriminate nature of the commander’s connections has also become the talk of the town. Viktor Kravchuk openly made friends with such ambiguous figures as Nikolay Dashkin and Viktor Bogdan.
“The first is that the former prosecutor of Baltiysk, who flew out of the bodies for official incompatibility, already being a municipal official, has repeatedly become a figure in high-profile corruption stories,” an informed source in the law enforcement agencies of the region told the VZGLYAD newspaper. - The second - Viktor Bogdan, who has the nickname Ballet in certain circles, is recognized as a consequence of the leader of a criminal group, now in the international wanted list. Kravchuk has repeatedly not only eaten in the house at the Ballet, but also remained with the authority to spend the night. Even when a criminal case was already underway against Bogdan, ”he said.
Bogdan’s grouping did not disdain various types of earnings, including those related to the fleet. Thus, the active members of the group Alexander Fomin and Igor Bogdan, Victor's nephew, in December 2010 were detained while trying to steal 22 tons of diesel fuel from Baltic Fleet ships. As a result, the case fell apart.
Struggle for power
The first vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov argues that every commander may have omissions and “there is no getting around it.” He also does not see the connection between the latest personnel decisions and the changes in the fleet management system that occurred under Shoigu.
“On the other hand, we must clearly understand that there is a struggle for power. People put their key positions ... The position of fleet commander is one of the key positions. It cannot be ruled out that for some positions the commander of the Baltic Fleet and the chief of staff did not agree with one or other positions of the Minister of Defense. This could also be an occasion to make such replacements, ”Sivkov told the newspaper VIEW. According to the expert, the commander is imputed not so much an omission in his work as an annotation. “And the fact that people sometimes go for it is also a fact,” he stated.
As for the technical side of the issue, Sivkov explained that only the Supreme Commander, the President of Russia, can appoint to the position of fleet commander. “The Minister of Defense can remove (existing fleet managers) and appoint temporary acting officers. And later, by decree of the Supreme Commander, one person should be removed and another appointed, ”said Sivkov.
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