Russian President Vladimir Putin has fired every single commander in Russia’s Baltic fleet who have refused to fight the West in an upcoming war. Putin fired 50 officers of the fleet alongside Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk and his chief of staff Rear Admiral Sergei Popov in a shake-up designed to purge traitors in the Russian military. Dailymail.co.uk reports: Reports in Russia also suggested the purges followed an alleged cover-up of a submarine accident, flaws in recruitment and military construction projects. It comes amid an undisclosed number of other senior officers of the fleets have been fired over serious flaws in combat training and their failure to take proper care of personnel. The purges’ scope and publicity make them highly unusual for the Russian military, which usually removes senior officers in a more subtle way. It is particularly unexpected as it follows Putin’s visit to the Baltic fleet last year in Kalingrad, during which he praised its performance. However, there has been speculation the drastic measures were prompted after the US Navy ship the USS Donald Cook was ‘buzzed’ by Russian fighter bombers in April, which was meant to be part of a series of confrontations against Western ships in the Baltic. But [...]
