Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday fired defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov over a corruption scandal, the most dramatic change to the government since he returned to the Kremlin for a third term.
Putin replaced Serdyukov, who had been implementing an unpopular but Kremlin-backed military reform, with Moscow region governor and long-standing ally Sergei Shoigu, his spokesperson said.
Serdykov was relieved of his duties so that a thorough investigation can proceed into a suspected US$100m property scam at a defence ministry holding company, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“This is in connection with the situation at the defence ministry. It has been done to create all the necessary conditions for the investigation,” Peskov said.
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