Aleksandr Vitko

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Viktorovich and the family name is Vitko.

Admiral Aleksandr Viktorovich Vitko
Native name	Александр Викторович Витко
Born	(1961-09-08) September 8, 1961 (age 63) Vitebsk, Byelorussian SSR, USSR
Allegiance	Soviet Union (to 1991)  Russia
Service / branch	Soviet Navy  Russian Navy
Years of service	1979–2021
Rank	Admiral
Unit	Naval High Command
Battles / wars	Russo-Ukrainian War

Admiral Aleksandr Viktorovich Vitko (Russian: Александр Викторович Витко; born September 13, 1961) is a retired officer of the Russian Navy, and a former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet between April 2013 and June 2018.^[1]

Biography

Aleksandr Vitko was born September 13, 1961, in Vitebsk, the Byelorussian SSR. In 1984 he graduated from the Nakhimov Naval School, and served in the Pacific Fleet.^[2] During 2009-2013 he was the Deputy commander of the Northern Fleet.

Vitko took command of the Black Sea Fleet on April 15, 2013.^[3]

Vitko took an active part in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. He delivered to Ukrainian troops an ultimatum to surrender before 5:00 am on March 4, threatening to storm the offices and units of the armed forces of Ukraine in the Crimea.^[4] On March 4, 2014, together with Aleksei Chaly he visited the headquarters of the Naval Forces of Ukraine. The next day, he was prosecuted by the general prosecutor of Ukraine on charges of incitement to treason and sabotage against the organization of the Ukrainian troops.^[5]

The Russian Defense Ministry called this an attempt of provocation aimed to destabilize the situation in Crimea. According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, the Black Sea Fleet commander performed his duties lawfully, in strict compliance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements on basing the Russian fleet in Ukraine and the Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. On March 12, 2014, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal investigation into the illegal decision of the General Prosecutor's Office against Aleksandr Vitko. He would be included amongst the individuals who were targeted with asset freezes, travel bans, and sanctions by the European Union and the United States.^[6][7]

On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Vitko was replaced by Vice-Admiral Alexander Moiseev and assigned "a new place of military service in the Navy High Command."^[3]

In 2019 Vitko was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, replacing Vice-Admiral Andrei Volozhinsky, and was seen as a potential political replacement for Dmitry Ovsyannikov.^[8][9]

Sanctions

In March 2014 the EU enacted sanctions against Aleksandr Vitko in relation to the violation of Ukrainian sovereign territory.^[10]

Sanctioned by the UK government in 2014 in relation to Russo-Ukrainian War. ^[11]

References

1. Биография Александра Витко (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
2. "Вице-адмирал Витко Александр Викторович, командующий Черноморским флотом Российской Федерации". www.kchf.ru. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
3. "Вице-адмирал Александр Моисеев назначен командующим Черноморским флотом". TASS. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
4. Hjelmgaard, Jacob Resneck and Kim. "Russian admiral issues ultimatum in Crimea; U.S. halts trade talks". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
5. Тихомиров, Андрей (2019-12-17). Президентство Владимира Путина: 2016 г. Хроника событий (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 978-5-04-221528-5.
6. Al-Saiegh, Mohammed (2014-04-29). "Ukraine crisis: See full sanctions list". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
7. "US and EU sanctions: the Russian and Ukrainian targets". the Guardian. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
8. "Звезды под елкой: Минобороны провело крупную кадровую ротацию" (in Russian). Izvestia. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
9. Urcosta, Ridvan Bari. "Newly Appointed Governor of Sevastopol Faces Looming Showdown With Local Elites". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
10. "COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/408 of 14 March 2019". Retrieved 8 February 2023.
11. "CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2023.