Russian sailors have always been distinguished by their strong will and ability to solve the most difficult tasks that many others would not be able to handle. But even among this cohort of well-trained people there are those who deserve the special attention of readers. One of them is Admiral Popov Vyacheslav Alekseevich. His biography will be discussed in the article.
Biography
The future sailor was born on November 22, 1946 in the city of Luga. His father went through many battles of the Great Patriotic War and was the commander of an artillery battalion with the rank of major.
It is noteworthy that Vyacheslav has two younger brothers, and all of them became submarine commanders in their adult life. Popov spent his childhood in a village called Nizhnie Oselki (Vsevolozhsk district). Completed secondary education in the village of Kuzmolovsky.
Higher education
It should be noted that Admiral Vyacheslav Popov did not immediately follow the path of military service in the navy in his life. In 1964, he decided to enter the Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. At this university, he studied for three semesters at the Faculty of Radio Electronics.
But then youngthe man nevertheless realized that this profession was not for him, and made a firm and final decision to become a submarine commander. At the same time, he also managed to work hard as a fireman on the railway.
Protection of the Motherland
From September 1, 1966, the now retired Admiral of the Fleet Popov, and then quite young Vyacheslav, entered military service. While in the army, almost immediately he entered the Frunze Higher Command Naval School, which he successfully graduated in 1971 with a degree in military engineer-navigator.
After the end of the life of a cadet, Popov was assigned to the K-32 submarine. On it, a young officer was originally the commander of a special electro-navigation group. A little later, the sailor was promoted to the position of commander of the K-137 submarine. After that, he was the assistant captain of the K-420.
During this period of service, Vyacheslav Alekseevich was repeatedly noted by the higher command for the excellent performance of his functional duties. In this regard, he was sent to the Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy in 1975. And just a year later, he continued to serve the Soviet Union on the command bridge of the K-423 boat. Then he happened to be both an assistant and the captain of several more submarines.
Realizing that for the further development of his career it is necessary to constantly improve himself, Popov in 1986 completed a correspondence course at the Naval Academy named after Marshal Grechko of the USSR.
Further between JanuaryFrom 1986 to August 1989, the officer served as deputy commander of the thirty-first division of submarines. After that, from August 1989 to August 1991, he was assigned to the post of commander of the nineteenth division of submarines.
Having come a long way as a "sea wolf", in 1991 Vice Admiral Popov received a promotion in the form of his appointment as First Deputy Commander of the Eleventh Flotilla in the Northern Fleet, where he served until April 1993.
After serving this post, an intelligent and experienced soldier is transferred to the first assistant commander of the entire B altic Fleet.
For three years (1996-1999) Vyacheslav Alekseevich has been in command of the headquarters of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation. And after that, until 2001, he served as commander of the same fleet.
Admiral Popov received his highest military rank in 1999.
Kursk situation
Few people know that the name of this military man is directly related to the tragic and still not fully investigated death of the nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet, bearing the name "Kursk", which sank to the bottom in August 2000 in the waters of the Barents Sea.
It was Admiral Popov who was the person responsible for carrying out the operation to rescue the submarine and the people on board. But it is worth noting that it was for the process of lifting the boat to the surface that the then Chief of Staff of the Northern Fleet, Vice Admiral Motsak, had a personal obligation.
During the investigation of the tragedy and finding out its trueFor reasons, it was Vyacheslav Alekseevich who proved himself to be the most honest officer, who was one of the few who never distorted data for the public and spoke only true facts. At the same time, Admiral Popov found the strength and will to publicly apologize and condolences to the relatives and close people of all the dead sailors of the Kursk.
Big statements
In 2000, Vyacheslav Alekseevich became famous for his statement that he would devote the rest of his life to looking into the eyes of the person who arranged the death of a nuclear submarine. And five years later, already at that time, former Admiral Popov, in one of his many interviews, said: “I know perfectly well what really happened with the Kursk, but it’s not time to tell the whole truth yet.”
The hero of the article is considered one of the most respected military leaders in the Russian Navy. But there are also people for whom he is not an absolute authority. So, for example, Vice-Admiral Valery Ryazantsev, who is the author of the book "In the Wake of Death", completely laid the blame for the death of the nuclear submarine on Popov. He called the training and combat training of sailors simply disgusting, and violations of various security requirements of the navy bordering on real criminal negligence.
Life outside the army
In the period from January 2002 to December 2011, Vyacheslav Alekseevich worked as a senator in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, representing the interest of the Murmansk region. Also ex-militaryassistant to the head of the Committee of the Federation Council dealing with security and defense of the country.
Vyacheslav Alekseevich has been married since 1971. His wife's name is Elizabeth, and together with her he raised two daughters.
Popov was awarded the Orders of the Red Star, "For Military Merit" and "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" of the third degree.
During his life, the admiral completed twenty-five campaigns on various nuclear submarines and spent almost eight years under water. Thanks to his service and devotion, he won the trust of the country and received honorary awards.
