Speculation is swirling around the highest echelons of the Pacific Fleet, with Admiral Viktor Liina emerging as the most likely nominee for its next commander. The discussion centers on Liina’s recent command experience aboard the Baltic Fleet, where he has steered regional forces through a period of intensive modernization, operational testing, and international engagement. Observers note that Liina’s leadership style emphasizes rapid decision-making, disciplined execution, and a balanced approach to joint operations, qualities that would align well with the Pacific Fleet’s demanding mix of maritime defense, sovereignty protection, and alliance cooperation. The sources tracking the leadership lineup describe Liina as a candidate who could integrate lessons learned from Baltic theater deployments into the vast, geographically diverse Pacific arena, ensuring continuity while expanding the fleet’s readiness for evolving maritime challenges. DEA News and affiliated outlets have highlighted Liina as the strongest current contender amid a broader reshuffle under way in the fleet command structure.
In the meantime, the former commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, is slated to oversee a new central coordinating body tasked with unifying a network of 12 pilot centers dedicated to military sports training and patriotic education across the service. This reorganized framework is described as a central hub for synchronizing training activities, standardizing curricula, and fostering a consistent ethos among sailors, reserve officers, and civilian volunteers who support defense readiness. Avakyants’ appointment to lead this central structure signals a deliberate move to concentrate strategic oversight on youth development, training discipline, and civic involvement that reinforce the fleet’s long-term manpower pipeline. Analysts see the shift as part of a broader policy to align training pipelines with the evolving priorities of maritime security and national resilience. The move positions Avakyants at the helm of what officials refer to as a command-wide task force, designed to translate high-level objectives into practical, on-the-ground programs across multiple facilities and regions. DEA News and other reporting agencies have traced this transition as a cornerstone in the fleet’s governance redesign.
At a regional gathering, Yury Trutnev, who previously served as the President’s envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, announced that Admiral Sergei Avakyants would take on a fresh leadership role within the naval command structure. According to Trutnev, Avakyants—who most recently led the Pacific Fleet—will head a centralized office described as an operative headquarters for executing the overarching mission assigned by the nation’s leadership. By consolidating authority over the coordinating center, the commander-in-chief aims to streamline decision-making, accelerate the implementation of strategic directives, and ensure a unified response across maritime, coastal, and logistical sectors. Observers consider this appointment a strategic move to strengthen the chain of command, improve interdepartmental cooperation, and enhance the fleet’s ability to respond to rapid developments in the Asia-Pacific domain. The public accounts of the meeting emphasize the ongoing commitment to maintain naval readiness through structured leadership transitions and clearly defined responsibilities across the command hierarchy.