Vladimir Putin’s ousted security chief Nikolai Patrushev will instead serve as an aide to the Russian president, according to a decree issued by the Kremlin.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of Putin’s post-inauguration reshuffle of the Russian Defense Ministry and as his forces intensify their barrage on Ukraine.
Putin had previously replaced his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had held the post for 12 years, with Andrei Belousov, an economist who never served in the Russian army. Shoigu, in turn, was appointed secretary of the Russian Security Council, replacing Patrushev, considered one of Putin’s closest confidants.
Putin also announced that he had appointed Alexei Dyumin, his former bodyguard, as his assistant. The former governor of the strategically important Tula region and former senior security official had been tipped as a potential successor to Shoigu as defense minister.
Politices
