Shoigu will not be Russia's defence minister: Putin suggests another candidate
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed appointing former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov as Defence Minister instead of Sergei Shoigu.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Telegram channel of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
Candidates for ministers of security agencies in the Russian Federation are proposed not by the prime minister, but by the head of state. They must be approved by the Federation Council.
According to Radio Liberty, Shoigu is the only representative of the security forces whom Putin decided not to reappoint.
At the same time, according to the Russian service of the BBC, Putin has appointed Shoigu as Secretary of the Russian Security Council by decree. The document comes into force on the day it is signed.
By another decree, Putin dismissed Nikolai Patrushev from the post of Secretary of the Russian Security Council "due to his transfer to another job".
Shoigu had been serving as Russia's Defence Minister since 2012.