State media confirmed on March 19 that Russia has replaced the head of its navy. This follows reports suggesting that the former naval chief was dismissed due to the repeated loss of Black Sea warships to Ukrainian attacks.
According to the RIA news agency, Alexander Moiseyev, the former commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet, has been appointed as the acting commander-in-chief, succeeding Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, who held the position since May 2019. The agency reported that Moiseyev was officially introduced as the acting commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy during a ceremony.
The Kremlin declined to comment last week on Admiral Moiseyev’s appointment, marking the most significant shakeup in Russia’s military leadership in months.
Since the conflict began in February 2022, Ukrainian forces have claimed to have destroyed over two dozen Russian ships, including a military patrol boat earlier this month. These losses have been a source of embarrassment for Moscow, leading to the relocation of boats from its historic Sevastopol naval base in Crimea to the port of Novorossiysk further east.
This contrasted sharply with Russia’s land offensive in eastern Ukraine, where its forces have made recent advances after over a year of stagnant fighting.
