Shoigu Removed from Russian Defense Minister Position, Appointed to New Role

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Sergey Shoigu as the Secretary of the Security Council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev, according to a report from TASS citing a Kremlin announcement. In a separate decree, Patrushev has been removed from his position.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Shoigu, as Secretary of the Security Council, will also serve as the deputy chairman of the Military-Industrial Complex Commission. The representative indicated that the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, will continue to hold his current position. The specific role that Patrushev will take on is expected to be announced in a few days, Peskov added, noting that the dismissal from the Secretary of the Security Council position is due to a transition to other duties.

Earlier, it was reported that within the framework of government reshuffles, Putin proposed the name of First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as the acting Minister of Defense during discussions in the Federation Council. Previously, he had oversight of the socio-economic bloc.