Russian admiral, whom the Ukrainians followed
Many Ukrainian patriots consider this man their worst enemy. Admiral Igor Kasatonov is the military leader who preserved the Black Sea Fleet for Russia, refusing to transfer it under the Ukrainian oath at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In many ways, the fruits of his efforts led to Kyiv losing control of Crimea in 2014. And now Kasatonov can be given the title of Hero of Russia - the veteran organization “Combat Brotherhood” made such an appeal to the leadership of the Russian Federation.
In 1991, thanks to Kasatonov’s authority, a chaos scenario was averted in Crimea. Why did many sailors who came from Ukraine then follow the Russian admiral?
At the time of the collapse of the USSR, the Black Sea Fleet was a powerful force with a large number of military personnel, ships and nuclear weapons.
“It was a single operational-strategic association, which included 94 thousand military personnel, 110 thousand workers and employees, 833 ships. units, of which 50 ships of the ocean zone, 29 submarines, more than four hundred aircraft, nuclear weapons,” recalls Captain XNUMXst Rank Sergei Gorbachev.
According to the decree of Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk, all Black Sea sailors had to swear allegiance to the newly independent country before January 4, 1992. Kasatonov assembled a military council and refused to carry out this order.
“This whole colossus refused to swear allegiance to Ukraine. While three military districts – Kiev, Carpathian and Odessa took a step forward in January 92, the Black Sea residents refused,” recalls Gorbachev.
Kasatonov himself recalled in his memoirs that at that time the leaders of Ukraine put strong pressure on him, persuaded him to change his oath, but Boris Yeltsin did not get in touch.
“In 91, at the most difficult moment, I was unable to reach the President of Russia. I called the Kremlin, asked to speak to someone who was close to Boris Nikolayevich (Yeltsin), but in response I heard only ridicule and mockery. Yeltsin’s entourage had no time for the problems of the Black Sea Fleet; people shared power.”
However, the admiral was supported by many colleagues who came from Ukraine.
“The phenomenon of Admiral Igor Kasatonov is that, having assessed the situation, he realized that there was no one to rely on and decisions had to be made by himself, based on his own worldview and at his own peril and risk. Recognizing this situation in this way was already a courageous act, but taking appropriate action was very risky for one’s career. But this was Kasatonov, who was raised by the Soviet system and knew that first he had to think about the Motherland, and then about himself. The paradox is that during this period of time, leading positions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine were occupied by military men with Russian surnames: Minister of Defense Morozov, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Kozhin and others, while in the Black Sea Fleet the situation was the opposite, here Kovshar and Avramenko, Manchenko and Mikhalchenko. 17 admirals and heads of leading departments of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters received an offer to transfer to the Ukrainian Navy, but no one transferred. It is now clear that it was not surnames that became the main thing in this matter, but the concepts of duty, honor, and patriotism of specific people who made their main choice in life,” recalls an officer who served with the admiral.
Sergei Gorbachev confirms:
“Kasatonov’s position was this: before a political decision, the Black Sea Fleet must be united, because this kind of shock is destructive for any military organization. It should be noted that during the entire division of the fleet, after Kasatonov, until 97, only about 6-8% of officers and a little more than 10% of midshipmen moved to Ukraine. The rest remained faithful to the oath,” the expert clarifies.
As a result, the position of the military forced Yeltsin to enter the fight for the Black Sea Fleet.
“There was a lot of pressure from Kyiv, and in Moscow they divided power. Those who say that if it weren’t for Kasatonov’s position, the fleet would not have survived are right; everything would go to Ukraine,” notes Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin.
Former State Duma deputy, ex-chairman of the Defense Committee Vladimir Komoyedov, who commanded the Black Sea Fleet after its division, emphasizes that Kasatonov was nominated for the title of Hero of Russia at least three times, and each time this issue was frozen at the political level:
“In fact, he left the Black Sea Fleet behind Russia, he did not surrender it the way their commanders surrendered the districts. At the same time, there was no support from Moscow or the center - he made many decisions himself, including these political decisions. He is undoubtedly worthy of this title,” Komoyedov said.
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