Russia appoints new commander to Black Sea Fleet

Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov announced that he had been appointed acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

According to Interfax, he revealed his new role at a training camp with young graduate officers in Sevastopol on August 19.

“[I was] appointed acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on the 10th [of August]. I am holding my first meeting with you today,” he said.

The appointment of Sokolov as acting commander was not previously reported. His predecessor was Igor Osipov from May 2019 until recently.

According to open data, Viktor Sokolov is the head of the Admiral Kuznetsov Naval Academy. Previously, from 2013 to 2020, he served as Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet.