Sergei Mikhailovich Pinchuk (; born 26 July 1971) 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

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, and is 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 ...

Career

Pinchuk was born on 26 July 1971 in

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, then part of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, 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 ...

. His father, Mikhail Fedorovich Pinchuk, was also a naval officer, who commanded the Kynda-class

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

''Groznyy'', and served as the deputy commander of the

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

for rear services, reaching the rank of ''kontr-admiral'' during his career. Sergei attended the

Nakhimov Naval School The Nakhimov Naval School () or Nakhimov School () is a form of military education for teenagers introduced in the Soviet Union and once also located in other cities. They are named after well-known Russian admiral Pavel Nakhimov. History The f ...

in Saint Petersburg, graduating in 1988 and entering the

Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School The Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School, formally the Black Sea Higher Naval Orders of Nakhimov and the Red Star School named after P. S. Nakhimov (), abbreviated as ChVVMU () is a higher naval education institution in Sevastopol which Military ...

in Sevastopol. Pinchuk's initial service as an officer was spent with the Baltic Fleet, where from 1993 he commanded the anti-aircraft missile battery aboard the fleet's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, the ''Sovremenny''-class

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

''Nastoychivy''. Over a period of several years he rose through the ranks, serving as commander of the ship's missile and artillery division, then as senior assistant and finally commanding the ship between 2004 and 2007. During this period he took the navy's higher officer classes, graduating in 1999, and further education at the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy, graduating in 2004. He was chief of staff of the Baltic Fleet's surface forces, based at

Baltiysk Baltiysk ( ); ; Old Prussian: ''Pillawa''; ; ; is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separ ...

, and from 2007 he was commander of the 105th brigade of ships, and chief of the

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

garrison. From December 2010 Pinchuk served as chief of staff and first deputy commander of the

Leningrad Naval Base The Leningrad Naval Base is part of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy. History The Naval base was created on the basis of Order No. 117 as of March 15, 1919 of the Baltic Sea Fleet. The Naval Forces of Petrograd were transformed by the order in ...

. On 22 December 2011 he joined the

with an appointment to command the . In February 2014 Pinchuk was promoted to kontr-admiral, and in September 2014 he began studying at the

Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation () is the senior staff college of the Russian Armed Forces. The academy is located in Moscow, on 14 Kholzunova Lane. It was founded in 1936 as a Soviet inst ...

. Pinchuk graduated from the academy in 2016, and was appointed acting commander of the Caspian Flotilla in July that year, being confirmed in his position on 20 September. On 18 February 2021 he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral. On 9 May 2021 he was appointed deputy commander in chief of the

Sanctions

He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

. In February 2022, Pinchuk was added to the European Union sanctions list for being "responsible for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the stability or security in Ukraine."

Replacing Sokolov

On 15 February 2024, prominent Russian telegram channels including Rybar reported that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Viktor Sokolov, had been replaced. Under Solokov, a significant portion of the Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed by Ukraine, including the large landing ship ''

Tsezar Kunikov Tsezar Lvovich Kunikov (; 23 June 1909 – 14 February 1943) was an officer in the Soviet Naval Infantry. He served as commanding officer of a landing party that recaptured the beach-head at Malaya Zemlya during World War II. Biography Kuniko ...

'' on 14 February. The Russian milbloggers speculated that the replacement was due to these losses. It is reported that Sergey Pinchuk will take over command of the Black Sea Fleet. He was appointed acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet on 15 February 2024, and then confirmed as commander on 2 April. He was promoted to the rank of admiral on 21 February 2025.

Personal life

Over his career Sergei Pinchuk has been awarded various departmental orders and medals, including the Order of Military Merit in 2009. He is married, with a son and daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinchuk, Sergei Mikhailovich 1971 births Living people People from Sevastopol Soviet Navy personnel Russian admirals Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School alumni Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy alumni N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions