Ildar Ferdinandovich Akhmerov (; born 7 August 1965) is an officer of the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

. He currently holds the rank of

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

, and is a deputy commander in chief of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

since 2024.

Biography

Akhmerov was born on 7 August 1965 in

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, in what was then the

Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as Tatar ASSR or TASSR, was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. The resolution for its crea ...

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

, in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He entered the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

, studying at the

Pacific Higher Naval School The Makarov Pacific Higher Naval School () is one of the Russian Navy's two higher educational institutions under the Ministry of Defense of Russia, with this school being located in Vladivostok in Russian Far East, Eastern Russia, the only naval ...

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

from 1982 to 1987, when he graduated from the faculty of radio engineering. He was assigned to serve as a group commander of the combat unit of the Krivak-class frigate ''Storozhevoy'' between 1987 and 1994, followed by the post of commander of the radiotechnical combat unit of the ''Udaloy''-class destroyer ''Admiral Tributs'' from 1994 until 1997, and then senior assistant to the commander of the ''Admiral Panteleyev'' between 1997 and 2001. He undertook further studies at the

Kuznetsov Naval Academy The N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy is the main staff college and postgraduate institution for the Russian Navy and is located in Saint Petersburg. In 1827 Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern initiated an Officers' Class at the Naval Cadet Corps. In 18 ...

between 2001 and 2003, and was then appointed commander of the ''Admiral Vinogradov''. This was followed by a posting as chief of staff until 7 June 2008, and then commander of the Pacific Fleet's anti-submarine ship unit until 2011. Akhmerov was the senior officer during the cruise of a detachment of warships of the Pacific Fleet into the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

in 2010, including the ''Marshal Shaposhnikov''. In May 2010 the detachment responded to the hijacking of the Russian-flagged tanker by

Somali pirates Horn of Africa * Somali Peninsula, a region of East Africa, also known as "The Horn of Africa" * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Greater Somalia ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali culture ...

, successfully releasing the ship after a naval assault. Akhmerov went on to serve as deputy commander of the between 2011 and 2012, before enrolling at the Military Academy of the General Staff. He graduated in 2013, and was appointed chief of staff, and subsequently from 2014 commander, of the

Caspian Flotilla The Caspian Flotilla () is the flotilla of the Russian Navy in the Caspian Sea. Established in November 1722 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Caspian Flotilla is the oldest flotilla in the Russian ...

. He served in this role until May 2015, when he was appointed as chief of staff and first deputy commander of the

Northern Fleet The Northern Fleet (, ''Severnyy flot'') is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. According to the Russian ministry of defence: "The Northern Fleet dates its history back to a squadron created in 1733 to protect the terri ...

's , being promoted to rear-admiral on 18 February 2021. In 2023 Akhmerov was transferred to serve as deputy commander of the

, being advanced in 2024 to the position of chief of staff and first deputy commander. On 9 December 2024, he was promoted to the rank of

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Honours and awards

Over his career Akhmerov has received the

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

Fourth Class, the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Naval Merit, and various other medals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhmerov, Ildar Ferdinandovich 1965 births Living people Military personnel from Kazan Soviet Navy personnel Russian admirals Pacific Higher Naval School alumni N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Russia)