Denis Berezovsky


Denis Valentinovich Berezovsky is a rear admiral and the Russian Black Sea Fleet deputy commander. He is also a former commander of the Ukrainian Navy. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Navy by Interim President Oleksandr Turchynov on March 1, 2014, serving for just one day before defecting to the self-declared pro-Russian separatist Crimean government during the 2014 Crimean crisis. On March 24, 2014, the Defense Minister of Russia Sergei Shoigu appointed Berezovsky as the Russian Black Sea Fleet deputy commander. On March 5, 2014, the Office of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine issued an order to detain Berezovsky on suspicion of treason.

Early life

Denis Berezovsky was born on July 15, 1974, in Kharkiv, USSR.

Military service

A graduate of the Nakhimov Higher Naval Institute in 1996, Berezovsky was the commander of the frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy from 2002 to 2005. On December 6, 2012, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. In 2012 and 2013, he led the joint exercises with Ukraine and the United States, Sea Breeze 2012 and Sea Breeze 2013. Prior to March 1, 2014, he served as deputy commander for combat training - Head of the Ukrainian Navy combat training. On March 1, 2014, President Turchynov appointed Berezovsky as Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine. In the morning of March 2, 2014, Berezovsky was dismissed from the post of commander of the Ukrainian Navy after he issued orders to lay down arms. After being dismissed, he appeared in media to announce he was defecting to the Russian-supported new Crimean authorities as "pledging allegiance to the Crimean people".
On March 24, 2014, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu along with a group from the Defence Ministry visited Crimea where he appointed Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky, as the new Russian Black Sea Fleet deputy commander. He served this post until October 15, 2015, before being posted again to the Russian Pacific Fleet as the deputy commander in November 2018. On February 20, 2020, he was awarded the rank of Vice Admiral.

Defection

On March 2, 2014, Berezovsky defected to the new Russian-supported Crimean authorities and took an "oath of allegiance to the people of Crimea". "Earlier in the morning of the same day", he was removed from his position in the Ukrainian Navy "for failing to manage the Navy in extreme conditions" at the decision of the Defense Minister, Ihor Tenyukh. Dmitry Tymchuk, the head of the Center of Military and Political Research, suggested at his Facebook page that Berezovsky pledged his allegiance when his family was kidnapped and held hostage. His defection immediately resulted in Ukraine launching a treason case against him, and the appointment of Serhiy Hayduk as his successor.
On March 3, 2014, both Berezovsky and Hayduk addressed Ukrainian Navy officers. The officers broke into applause when Hayduk read them the order that removed Berezovsky from his position and that Berezovsky was facing treason charges; this was followed by spontaneous singing of the Ukrainian national anthem. Berezovsky then unsuccessfully tried to entice the officers over to the newly proclaimed Crimean fleet which he had been appointed head of — assuring them that they would retain their ranks and there would be no interruption of salary payments. He claimed that "Viktor Yanukovych is the legitimately elected president of Ukraine," and that thus it would be no breach of oath if they served Crimea since "the seizure of power in Kiev was orchestrated from abroad".

Honours