Konstantin Petrovich Kabantsov (; born 12 October 1968) 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 has been commander in chief 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 ...

since 2024.

Biography

Kabantsov was born on 12 October 1968 in

Semipalatinsk Semey (; , formerly known as Semipalatinsk ( ) until 2007 and as Alash-Qala ( ) from 1917 to 1920, is a city in eastern Kazakhstan, in the Kazakh part of Siberia. When Abai Region was created in 2022, Semey became its administrative centre. I ...

, now

Semey Semey (; , formerly known as Semipalatinsk ( ) until 2007 and as Alash-Qala ( ) from 1917 to 1920, is a city in eastern Kazakhstan, in the Kazakh part of Siberia. When Abai Region was created in 2022, Semey became its administrative centre. I ...

, in what was then the

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental country, transcontinental Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Un ...

, 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 M. V. Frunze Higher Naval School in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and graduating in 1990. He was assigned to the

, where he served aboard nuclear submarines, rising through the positions of combat unit commander, assistant commander, and finally senior assistant commander of a submarine by 2003. In preparation for service at higher ranks, he had completed the

Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy The Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy, formally the Higher Special Officer Order of Lenin Classes of the Navy (), and known by its abbreviation VSOK VMF () is a higher naval education institution in Saint Petersburg which educates serving ...

in 1995. In April 2003 he was appointed to command the ''Akula''-class submarine ''Gepard''. In 2006, Kabantsov was appointed deputy commander of the Northern Fleet's 24th Submarine Division, and after graduating from 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 ...

in 2007, he was appointed chief of staff and deputy commander, and then commander of the division in 2016. In March 2009 he was nominated as a candidate for deputy of the Council of Deputies of the

closed city A closed city or town is a settlement where travel or residency restrictions are applied. Historically, the construction of closed cities became increasingly common after the beginning of the Cold War, particularly in the Soviet Union. Since t ...

of Aleksandrovsk. As part of his posting he served as deputy commander of the Northern Fleet's submarine forces between 2013 and 2016. He then undertook further studies at the Military Academy of the General Staff, graduating in 2018 and being appointed commander of the Northern Fleet's . In 2020, he became commander of the Pacific Fleet's , before being, on 21 October 2021, appointed chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Northern Fleet. He officially took up his duties on 6 November that year. Kabantsov 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 Vice ...

on 17 February 2023 and on 21 March 2024 became acting commander of the Northern Fleet, following the appointment of its commander, Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. Kabantsov was confirmed as commander of the Northern Fleet by

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...

on 2 April.

Honours and awards

Over his career Kabantsov has received the Orders of Military Merit, Naval Merit and various medals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabantsov, Konstantin Petrovich 1968 births Living people People from Semey Soviet Navy personnel Russian admirals N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Russia) Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy alumni