Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy (Russian: Главнокомандующий ВМФ) is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Navy. He is appointed by the President of Russia. The position dates to the period of the Russian Empire. The current Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy is Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev.

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy
Главнокомандующий ВМФ
Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy
Incumbent Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev since 2 April 2024
Russian Navy
Member of	General Staff of the Armed Forces
Reports to	Chief of the General Staff
Appointer	President of Russia
Formation	8 September 1802 (historical) 19 August 1992 (current form)
Website	Official website

List of Commanders

Ministers of Sea Forces (1802–1815)

Main article: Imperial Russian Navy

No.	Portrait	Minister	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Mordvinov, NikolayCount Nikolay Mordvinov (1754–1845)	8 September 1802	28 December 1802	111 days
2		Mordvinov, NikolayPavel Chichagov (1767–1849)	31 December 1802	28 November 1811	8 years, 332 days
3		Traverse, IvanIvan de Traverse (1754–1831)	28 November 1811	17 December 1815	4 years, 19 days

Ministers of the Navy (1815–1917)

Further information: Admiralty Board (Russian Empire)

On 17 December 1815 the Ministry of Sea Forces was renamed, becoming the Ministry of the Navy.

No.	Portrait	Minister of the Navy	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Traverse, IvanIvan de Traverse (1754–1831)	17 December 1815	24 March 1828	12 years, 98 days
2		Moller, AntonAdmiral Anton Otto von Möller [ru] (1764–1848)	24 March 1828	5 February 1836	7 years, 318 days
3		Menshikov, AleksandrAdmiral Prince Alexander Menshikov (1787–1869)	5 February 1836	23 February 1855	19 years, 18 days
4		Wrangel, FerdinandAdmiral Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel (1797–1870)	18 May 1855	27 July 1857	2 years, 70 days
5		Metlin, NikolayAdmiral Nikolay Metlin [ru] (1804–1884)	27 July 1857	18 September 1860	3 years, 53 days
6		Krabbe, NikolayAdmiral Nikolay Karlovich Krabbe (1814–1876)	19 September 1860	3 January 1876 †	15 years, 106 days
7		Lesovskiy, StepanAdmiral Stepan Lesovskiy [ru] (1817–1884)	12 January 1876	23 June 1880	4 years, 163 days
8		Peshchurov, AlekseyVice admiral Aleksey Peshchurov [ru] (1834–1891)	23 June 1880	11 January 1882	1 year, 202 days
9		Shestakov, IvanAdmiral Ivan Shestakov (1820–1888)	11 January 1882	21 November 1888	6 years, 315 days
10		Chikhachyov, NikolaiAdmiral Nikolai Chikhachyov [ru] (1830–1917)	28 November 1888	13 July 1896	7 years, 228 days
11		Tyrtov, PavelAdmiral Pavel Tyrtov [ru] (1836–1903)	13 July 1896	4 March 1903 †	6 years, 234 days
12		Avellan, TheodorAdmiral Theodor Avellan (1839–1916)	10 March 1903	29 June 1905	2 years, 117 days
13		Birilev, AlekseiAdmiral Aleksei Birilev (1844–1915)	29 June 1905	11 January 1907	1 year, 196 days
14		Dikov, IvanAdmiral Ivan Dikov [ru] (1833–1914)	11 January 1907	8 January 1909	1 year, 363 days
15		Voevodskiy, StepanAdmiral Stepan Voevodskiy [ru] (1859–1937)	8 January 1909	18 March 1911	2 years, 69 days
16		Grigorovich, IvanAdmiral Ivan Grigorovich (1853–1930)	19 March 1911	28 February 1917	5 years, 346 days
17		Guchkov, AlexanderAlexander Guchkov (1862–1936)	1 March 1917	30 April 1917	60 days

Commanders of Naval Forces of the RSFSR (1918–1921) No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office 1 Altfater, VasiliyVasiliy Altfater (1883–1919) [a] 15 October 1918 22 April 1919 189 days 2 Berens, YevgenyYevgeny Berens (1876–1928) 24 April 1919 5 February 1920 287 days 3 Nemits, AleksandrAleksandr Nemits (1879–1967) 5 February 1920 22 November 1921 1 year, 290 days

Commanders of the White Movement Fleet (1917–1924) No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office 1 Wrangel, PyotrPyotr Wrangel (1878–1928) ? ? ? 2 Kedrov, MikhailRear Admiral Mikhail Alexandrovich Kedrov (1878–1945) ? November 1920 ? 3 Berens, MikhailRear Admiral Mikhail Berens (1879–1943) November 1920 29 October 1924 3 years, 11 months

Commander-in-Chief's Assistant for Naval Affairs (1921–1924)

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Pantserzhanskiy, EduardEduard Pantserzhanskiy (1887–1937)	22 November 1921	9 December 1924	3 years, 17 days

Commanders-in-Chief of the Naval Forces of the USSR (1924–1937)

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Zof, VyacheslavVyacheslav Zof (1889–1937)	9 December 1924	23 August 1926	1 year, 257 days
2		Muklevich, RomualdRomuald Muklevich (1890–1938)	23 August 1926	11 June 1931	4 years, 292 days
3		Orlov, VladimirFleet Flag-officer 1st Rank Vladimir Mitrofanovich Orlov (1895–1938)	11 June 1931	15 August 1937	6 years, 65 days
-		Galler, LevFleet Flag-officer 2nd Rank Lev Galler (1883–1950) Acting	10 July 1937	15 August 1937	36 days
4		Viktorov, MikhailFleet Flag-officer 1st Rank Mikhail Viktorov (1893–1938)	15 August 1937	30 December 1937	137 days

People's Commissars for the USSR Navy (1937–1939)

No.	Portrait	People's Commissar	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Smirnov, PyotrArmy Commissar 1st Rank Pyotr Smirnov (1897–1939)	30 December 1937	5 November 1938	310 days
2		Frinovskiy, MikhailArmy Commander 1st Rank Mikhail Frinovskiy (1898–1940)	5 November 1938	20 March 1939	135 days
3		Kuznetsov, NikolaiFleet Flag-officer 2nd Rank Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov (1904–1974)	27 April 1939	24 July 1939	88 days

Commanders-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy (1939–1991)

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Kuznetsov, NikolaiAdmiral of the Fleet Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov (1904–1974)	24 July 1939	17 January 1947	7 years, 177 days
2		Yumashev, IvanAdmiral Ivan Stepanovich Yumashev (1895–1972)	17 January 1947	20 July 1951	4 years, 184 days
(1)		Kuznetsov, NikolaiFleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov (1904–1974)	20 July 1951	5 January 1956	4 years, 169 days
3		Gorshkov, SergeyFleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (1910–1988)	5 January 1956	8 December 1985	29 years, 337 days
4		Chernavin, VladimirFleet admiral Vladimir Chernavin (1928–2023)	8 December 1985	25 December 1991	6 years, 18 days

Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Independent States Navy (1991–1992)

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Chernavin, VladimirFleet admiral Vladimir Chernavin (1928–2023)	25 December 1991	19 August 1992	237 days

Commanders-in-Chief of the Russian Navy (1992–present)

No.	Portrait	Commander-in-Chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Gromov, FeliksFleet admiral Feliks Gromov (1937–2021)	19 August 1992	7 November 1997	5 years, 80 days
2		Kuroyedov, VladimirFleet admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov (born 1944)	7 November 1997	4 September 2005	7 years, 301 days
3		Masorin, VladimirFleet admiral Vladimir Masorin (born 1947)	4 September 2005	27 August 2007	1 year, 357 days
4		Vysotskiy, VladimirAdmiral Vladimir Vysotsky (1954–2021)	27 August 2007	6 May 2012	4 years, 253 days
5		Chirkov, ViktorAdmiral Viktor Chirkov (born 1959)	6 May 2012	26 February 2016	3 years, 296 days
6		Korolyov, VladimirAdmiral Vladimir Korolyov (born 1955)	18 April 2016	3 May 2019	3 years, 46 days
7		Yevmenov, NikolaiAdmiral Nikolai Yevmenov (born 1962)	3 May 2019	10 March 2024	4 years, 312 days
–		Admiral Alexander Moiseyev (born 1962)	10 March 2024	2 April 2024	23 days
8			2 April 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 28 days

Deputies and chiefs of staff

Chief of the Main Staff and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy

• Valentin Selivanov (1992–1996)
• Igor Khmelnov (1996–1997)
• Vladimir Kuroyedov (1997)
• Viktor Kravchenko (1998–2005)
• Vladimir Masorin (2005)
• Mikhail Abramov (2005–2009)
• Aleksandr Tatarinov (2009–2016)
• Andrei Volozhinsky (2016–2019)
• Aleksandr Vitko (2019–2021)
• Aleksandr Nosatov (2021–2024)
• Vladimir Kasatonov (2024–present)

Notes

1. Military ranks were abolished in 1918–1935.