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Russian Defense Ministry dismisses Baltic Fleet commander, chief of staff

The officers were dismissed for combat training deficiencies

Former Commander of the Baltic Fleet Viktor Kravchuk Yelena Nagornykh/ITAR-TASS

Former Commander of the Baltic Fleet Viktor Kravchuk

© Yelena Nagornykh/ITAR-TASS

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KUBINKA (Moscow region), June 29. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has dismissed Commander of the Baltic Fleet Viktor Kravchuk and the Fleet’s Chief of Staff Sergey Popov for combat training deficiencies, as well as for distortion of the real state of affairs in reports, the Defense Ministry’s press service reported on Wednesday.

"The defense minister and members of the Defense Ministry collegium expressed sharp and principled criticism of the activity of officials for serious shortcomings revealed in their work. On the results of an inspection and discussion at the collegium meeting, the commander of the Baltic Fleet, the Fleet’s chief of staff, as well as a number of other officials were dismissed by the defense minister for serious combat training deficiencies, as well as distortion of the real state of affairs in their reports. They are subject to removal from their posts and dismissal from military service," the press service said.

The ministry said that the officials have been punished for "serious shortcomings in the organization of combat training, daily activities of troops (forces), for failure to take all necessary measures to improve the conditions of the personnel accommodation, inattention to their subordinates, as well as distorted reports on the real state of affairs".

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