MOSCOW - Russia's defense minister has fired the commander of the Baltic Fleet and his top officers following a sweeping inspection. The Defense Ministry announced the purge in a terse statement late June 29. It said the fleet commander, Vice Adm. Viktor Kravchuk, his chief of staff, Rear Adm. Sergei Popov, and 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 the personnel's conditions.
Associated Press: Russian defense minister purges Baltic Fleet command
A new Russian nuclear submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, drives in the water area of the Sevmash factory in the northern city of Arkhangelsk on July 2, 2009.
