Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Andrey Belousov as Defence Minister, replacing the long-time head of the Defence Ministry, Sergei Shoigu.
According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Russian presidential administration disseminated this information.
"The head of state has appointed Belousov Andrey Removich as Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation," the Kremlin said.
Previously, Belousov served as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
Read also: Shoigu will not be Russia's defence minister: Putin suggests another candidateAt the same time, former Russian Security Council Secretary Dmitry Patrushev has been promoted to the post of deputy prime minister.
In addition, Putin appointed the rest of the government and heads of various departments, but they remained largely unchanged.
Shoigu, who had been head of the Defence Ministry since 2012, was appointed Secretary of the Russian Security Council.
