20 Facts About Vladimir Masorin

Vladimir Vasilyevich Masorin is a retired Russian admiral of the fleet who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy from 2005 to 2007.

Vladimir Masorin was previously the Chief of the Main Staff and First Deputy Commander-in-Chief in 2005, and commanded the Black Sea Fleet from 2002 to 2005 and the Caspian Sea Flotilla from 1996 to 2002.

Vladimir Masorin was commissioned from the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School in Crimea in 1970, and commanded two destroyers, a destroyer brigade, and a squadron before reaching higher command.

Vladimir Masorin was born on 25 August 1947 in Bely, Kalinin Oblast, in the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Masorin graduated from the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School in Sevastopol, Crimean Oblast, in 1970.

Vladimir Masorin served as principal warfare officer on the Kashin-class destroyer Smyshlyony of the Northern Fleet.

In 1983 Vladimir Masorin became chief of staff of the Northern Fleet's destroyer brigade.

Vladimir Masorin later commanded the 7th Operational Squadron of the Northern Fleet from 1989.

Vladimir Masorin rose to prominence in the Russian media when in the summer of 2002, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov gave high praise to the naval drills that he oversaw in the Caspian Sea.

On 9 October 2002 Vladimir Masorin became commander of the Black Sea Fleet and around that time was promoted to the rank of admiral.

On 17 February 2005 Vladimir Masorin was made the Chief of the Main Staff and First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.

Vladimir Masorin was in that post until 4 September 2005, when he was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, succeeding Admiral of the Fleet Vladimir Kuroyedov.

Vladimir Masorin assumed command of the Navy in the wake of several high-profile accidents and after years of under-maintenance of the fleet due to a lack of funding.

Vladimir Masorin acknowledged that the Navy's inadequate ability to respond to accidents and called for a reduced fleet, centered around submarine and nuclear forces as opposed to a large ocean-going navy as had been advocated by Kuroyedov.

Vladimir Masorin was promoted to admiral of the fleet after becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.

In late 2005 and early 2006, during a controversy between Russia and Ukraine over basing rights in Crimea, Vladimir Masorin said that the Black Sea Fleet will continue to use the facility until at least 2017.

On 10 July 2006, Vladimir Masorin was on board a Russian Navy Tupolev Tu-134 which crashed on takeoff from Gvardeyskoye Air Base, Simferopol, Ukraine.

Vladimir Masorin's award was conferred by US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Michael Mullen, for meritorious conduct to increase cooperation and interoperability with the US Navy and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from September 2005 to August 2007.

Vladimir Masorin consistently advocated continued Russian participation in the joint and combined military exercises including BALTOPS, Northern Eagle FRUKUS and Pacific Eagle.

Vladimir Masorin's visit to Washington, DC, during which he received the Legion of Merit was first official visit of a Russian Federation Navy commander-in-chief in eleven years.