Russia's Putin Fires Six Top Defense OfficersRussian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed six top Defense Ministry officers, the Interfax news agency reported Monday, quoting the Kremlin press service.All of them had held the status of acting officials since the middle of May, when they offered their resignation after the new president and commander-in-chief assumed his duties, Interfax said. Two of the dismissed generals, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Force Colonel General Stanislav Petrov and head of the Air-Defense Troops Colonel General Boris Dukhov, have completed their terms of military service. The other dismissed officers are head of Armaments Colonel General Anatoly Sitnov, head of the Main Rocket-Artillery Department Nikolai Karaulov, head of the Central Department for Materiel and Foreign Economic Relations Lieutenant General Alexander Zobnin and head of the Defense Ministry press service Major General Anatoly Shatalov, Interfax reported. |
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