Vladimir Kuroyedov

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Admiral of the Fleet Vladimir Ivanovich Kuroyedov (Russian: Владимир Иванович Куроедов; born September 5, 1944) is a former long-serving Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. Earlier he was Chief of Staff/1st Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Chief of Staff/1st Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet since 1993 and Chief of the Main Staff/1st Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Kuroyedov graduated from the Pacific S.O. Makarov Higher Naval School, the N.G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy and the General Staff Academy.

He was retired one day before his 61st birthday, mandatory retirement age for Russian senior officers is 60 (though the President can and often does extend their service tenure).

Conflicting views on Kuroyedov's retirement speculate either that he was fired because he had presided over too many naval embarrassments, including the sinking of the Kursk (the Jamestown Foundation) or because the President wished to emphasize the need for greater discipline in the Navy (Bellona Foundation). The simplest reason is that he had already served at the president's pleasure one year beyond legal retirement age