Today, at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, a solemn ceremony was held to hand over the standard of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet to Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov, who was appointed to this position.
This was reported by the press service of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, thus confirming the rumors about a change of commander that had been circulating since the death of the fleet flagship, the cruiser Moskva.
Vice Admiral Sokolov was born on April 4, 1962 in the city of Bendery, Moldavian SSR (now Transnistria).
Over the years, he graduated from the Frunze Higher Naval School, the Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy, the Kuznetsov Naval Academy, and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Between 1985 and 2012. served in command positions in the Pacific Fleet, from 2012 to 2020. in the Northern Fleet. Since 2020 – Head of the VUNTS Navy “Naval Academy named after Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N.G. Kuznetsova".
In September 2022, he was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
Awarded the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, IV degree with swords, “Nakhimov”, “For Military Merit”, “For Naval Merit”, departmental medals.
Married, has three sons.