Putin removes Pacific Fleet commander after snap inspection.

The commander of Russia's Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, has been removed from his post by President Vladimir Putin's envoy to the Russian Far East, Yury Trutnev. The move comes after the fleet was put on high alert for snap drills around disputed islands near Japan's island of Hokkaido. Avakyants will head a new organization managing centers for military training and patriotic education. The exercises, which included missile launches and torpedo tests, took place in accordance with international law, according to the Kremlin.