Pinchuk was born on 26 July 1971 in
Sevastopol, then part of the
Ukrainian SSR, in the
Soviet Union. His father, Mikhail Fedorovich Pinchuk, was also a naval officer, who commanded the
Kynda-class cruiser Groznyy, and served as the deputy commander of the
Baltic Fleet for
rear services, reaching the rank of
kontr-admiral during his career. Sergei attended the
Nakhimov Naval School in Saint Petersburg, graduating in 1988 and entering the
Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School in Sevastopol. Pinchuk's initial service as an officer was spent with the Baltic Fleet, where from 1993 he commanded the anti-aircraft missile battery aboard the fleet's
flagship, the
Sovremenny-class destroyer Nastoychivy. On 18 February 2021 he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral. On 9 May 2021 he was appointed deputy commander in chief of the
Black Sea Fleet.
Black Sea Fleet commander On 15 February 2024, prominent Russian telegram channels including
Rybar reported that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet,
Viktor Sokolov, had been replaced. Under Solokov, a significant portion of the Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed by Ukraine, including the large landing ship
Tsezar Kunikov on 14 February. The Russian milbloggers speculated that the replacement was due to these losses. It is reported that Sergey Pinchuk will take over command of the Black Sea Fleet. He was appointed acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet on 15 February 2024, and then confirmed as commander on 2 April. He was promoted to the rank of admiral on 21 February 2025. ==Personal life==