Putin dismisses Russia’s top security official

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu as secretary of the Security Council, where he will replace Nikolay Patrushev, the Kremlin said Sunday. Another decree suspended Patrushev from his post.

According to Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin opted to assign a “civilian” to lead the Defense Ministry, citing the necessity for the agency to embrace innovation and progressive concepts. Peskov further mentioned that Shoigu, in his capacity as secretary of the Security Council, will serve as the president’s deputy within the commission on the military-industrial complex.

The Kremlin’s spokesman added that Valery Gerasimov, the head of the General Staff of the Defense Ministry, will remain in his current role. Peskov noted that it will be revealed in the coming days who Patrushev’s successor will be after his departure from the position of Security Council secretary.

It was previously revealed that among the candidates nominated by Putin for cabinet positions in the government reshuffle, acting First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov was tapped to take on the role of minister of defense. During the president’s most recent term in office, he oversaw the socio-economic sector.