Putin dismisses Sergei Shoigu as Russia's defense minister

Vladimir Putin fired his longtime ally Sergei Shoigu as defense minister.

According to "The Guardian", the Kremlin announced that Shoigu will be replaced by Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister specializing in economics.

Putin, who was sworn in for a fifth term as Russia's leader earlier this week, proposed that Shoigu replace Nikolai Patrushev as head of Russia's Security Council.

Other heads of ministries and security services, as well as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, will retain their government posts.

Shoigu, Russia's longest-serving minister, took over as head of the Defense Ministry in 2012 after serving as Minister of Emergency Services.

He led the Russian military since the invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022.

Shoigu has come under fire for Russia's military failures since the February 2022 invasion, as well as for failing to root out the widespread corruption that remains rife in the military.