In Major Shakeup, Putin Replaces Defense Minister Shoigu

In a major shakeup, President Vladimir Putin has nominated former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov to replace longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the upper-house Federature Council announced Sunday night.

Shoigu has been named secretary of the Security Council, replacing current Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev, according to a Kremlin decree.

The Kremlin said it would announce Patrushev's next role in the coming days.

Explaining Shoigu's replacement with a non-military official, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "natural" for Putin to decide that a civilian official to head the Defense Ministry.

"The Defense Ministry must be absolutely open to innovation, to introduce all advanced ideas, to create conditions for economic competitiveness — that’s why the president chose the candidacy of Andrei Removich Belousov," Peskov told reporters.

This is a developing story.