President Vladimir Putin relieved Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov of his duties on Tuesday, and appointed Sergei Shoigu as his replacement.
“Taking into consideration the situation that has emerged regarding the Defense Ministry, in order to create the requisite conditions for an objective investigation of all the issues, I made the decision to relieve Defense Minister Serdyukov of his duties,” Putin said, RIA Novosti reports.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has recently become embroiled in a scandal over alleged real estate scams involving nearly $100 million run by state defense firm Oboronservis.
“Putin personally took the decision to sack Serdyukov,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “The appointment of Shoigu as defense minister was made on the recommendation of the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.” .
