Putin sacks EVERY commander in his Baltic fleet in Stalin-style purge 'after top brass [tr]

UK Daily Mail ^ | July 12, 2016 | Jennifer Newton

[C19fan]

Vladimir Putin has sacked every single commander in Russia's Baltic fleet in what has been described as a 'Stalin-style' purge. Up to 50 officers of the fleet were fired alongside Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk and his chief of staff Rear Admiral Sergei Popov after they reportedly refused to follow orders to confront Western ships. Reports in Russia also suggested the purges followed an alleged cover-up of a submarine accident, flaws in recruitment and military construction projects.

[ObozoMustGo2012]

Mr. Donald Trump... please pick up the white courtesy phone...

[RummyChick]

Putin does what he needs to do to further his agenda. It might not coincide with our agenda but he takes action.. I would like to see Trump do something similar with VA

[Red Badger]

The beatings will continue until moral improves.....................carry on!.................or else!.................

[RedStateRocker]

I think the author has little clue as to what a ‘Stalin style purge’ is.

[pgkdan]

Stalin style purge? How many are in Siberia? How many were murdered in their beds? Stalin style? Hardly.

[ThunderSleeps]

Yeah, if the brass is still breathing to complain about being sacked, it wasn't a Stalin style purge.

If top command isn't following orders, well, what did they expect? It is a chain of command, not a debating club.

[Blood of Tyrants]

If they are still alive and their images haven’t been airbrushed out, it’s not a “Stalin style purge”.

[Wallace T.]

To compare Putin's actions with Stalin's purges is an exaggeration. The victims of the Soviet purges usually died with a bullet to the back of the head. Like the German Navy under Hitler, the Russian Navy may not be fully supporting their leader's anti-Western attitudes. Additionally, Russia was never a great naval power under either the Tsars or the Communists. America and NATO may be decadent but their naval forces remain superior.

[McGruff]

“they reportedly refused to follow orders to confront Western ships”

Guess they have (or had) their own Admiral Josh Painter.

[kingu]

To me, the ‘refuses to confront’ story sounds like the cover up for incompetence. Strange how the far more likely incompetence story is floating through Russia and ‘failure to confront’ is floating in foreign press as a scoop.

[Wallace T.]

Obama conducted his own purges of politically incorrect senior officers although unlike their Russian counterparts, the dismissed generals and admirals received generous retirement benefits.

[Louis Foxwell]

True. From 1936 onwards, during the Great Purge being expelled from the party came to mean almost certain arrest, imprisonment or even execution.

[Nifster]

Tell me again how peaceful Putin is.

[Vigilanteman]

Yep, without the firing squads and air brushers working overtime, it just ain’t a ‘Stalin-style’ purge.

[Nicojones]

Unfortunately, our Commander sacks his generals for using the phrase Islamic terrorist and for not embracing transgendered troops. I’d take Putin any day. God help us if Trump doesn’t get in and reverse this.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: The victims of the Soviet purges usually died with a bullet to the back of the head ::

As opposed to the preferred “dissident citizen” purge where a ball-peen hammer is used.

[buffaloguy]

Sounds like a severe spare parts shortage in the Russian Navy. Probably a bad decision by Putin.

[elcid1970]

The Baltic Sea is a pond compared to the Atlantic or Pacific. With no room to retreat, ship to ship confrontations could turn deadly. Is this what Putin is willing to risk in order to turn the Baltic into a Russian lake like he is doing with the Black Sea?