Putin replaces Army Chief of Staff
RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin on Friday replaced Russia's army
chief of staff with a veteran commander from the second Chechnya war, in
a shake-up of the military after the sacking of the defence minister.
Army chief of staff Nikolai Makarov is to be replaced by General
Valery Gerasimov, a commander at the North Caucasus military district in
the second Chechnya war, Putin announced days after the sacking of
defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov in a graft scandal.
"You are an experienced person," Putin told Gerasimov in a meeting at
the Kremlin that also included the new Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"I believe the minister has picked the right candidate and I hope
that you will work to the best of your abilities and efficiently."
AFP |