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April 20, 2023 | 1:17 p.m
The commander of Russia’s Pacific Fleet has resigned while overseeing naval exercises and missile launches as part of a “surprise inspection” to test the fleet’s readiness for battle.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to the Russian Far East announced the dismissal of Admiral Sergei Avakyants from his post.
Yuri Trutnev said Avakyants, 66, who has commanded the Pacific Fleet since 2012, will head a new organization to manage centers for military training and patriotic education, which are set to open in 11 Russian regions and in Donetsk illegally annexed to Ukraine.
according to State news agency RIA NovostiAdmiral Viktor Lena, who has served as commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet since 2021, is seen as an alternative to Avakyants.
The military change comes less than a week after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu put the Pacific Fleet on high alert to conduct surprise maneuvers around disputed islands near the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The exercises, described by Russia as “routine”, included torpedo tests, missile launches and “simulated strikes” on enemy naval forces.
Japan criticized the exercises on Monday, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted the exercises were conducted “in strict accordance with international law”.
“Our environment is very turbulent on several fronts. The situation is fraught with conflict situations and regional conflicts. We are all well aware of the geography of these regional conflicts,” Peskov told reporters.
Russia’s obvious goal with the surprise inspections was to show the world that it could still project power into the Pacific despite the fact that its military was severely depleted by the war in Ukraine.
Russian state television on Monday showed a video of Putin receiving a report on the Pacific exercises from Shoigu.
Publicly, Putin said the naval exercises — which concluded Thursday — showed the Pacific Fleet was at a high level of combat readiness.
with wire
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