Pacific Fleet (Russia)

The Pacific Fleet is the Russian fleet that operates in the Pacific Ocean, South and East China Seas, Philippine Sea, Sea of Oshtok and the Sea of Japan.

Established in 1731 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the fleet was known as the Okhotsk Military Flotilla (1731–1856) and Siberian Military Flotilla (1856–1918), formed to defend Russian interests in the Russian Far East region along the Pacific coast. In 1932 it was re-established as the Pacific Fleet, and was known as the White Banner Pacific Fleet after World War II as it had earned the Order of the White Banner. In the Cold War years, the fleet was also responsible for the Russian Navy's operations in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

The Pacific Fleet's headquarters is located in Vladivostok, with numerous facilities within the Peter the Great Gulf in Primorsky Krai, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vilyuchinsk in Avacha Bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Kamchatka Krai. Following the APEC Russia 2012 summit, it was announced that the main naval base of the Pacific Fleet in the Russian Far East will be moved to the town of Fokino, Primorsky Krai. The current commander is Admiral Sergei Avakyants, who has held the position since May 2012.