Putin relieves Russian army chief of his duties

Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved General Nikolai Makarov from his post as the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and from the military service, Russian presidency announced on Friday. State-run news agency (Iter-Tass) reported that Putin appointed Colonel-General Valery Gerasimov in replacement. The Voice of Russia reported a Russian news paper as saying that Makarov has applied for resignation. He didn’t provide reasons for his decision, however. Earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was also relieved of his duties and was replaced by Sergei Shoigu. News reports suggested that a transition was already under way behind the scenes upon Shoigu’s taking office. The Moscow Times newspaper’s website said on Thursday that sources were quoted as saying that Shoigu would name Gerasimov, a reputed conservative, to replace the reformist General Staff chief, Makarov. The newspaper said Shoigu faces many challenges to reform the situation after Russia’s Defense Ministry has faced scandals over alleged real estate scams involving nearly $100 million during Serdyukov’s office.