Putin replaces commander of Russia's ground forces and appoints him to security council
MOSCOW, May 15 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the commander of Russia's ground forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov, 69, appointing him deputy secretary of the Security Council, according to a decree published on the Kremlin's website on Thursday.
The Security Council is the Kremlin's top consultative body, chaired by Putin, and which is responsible for managing and integrating national security policy. It does not have direct authority over Russia's security agencies and ministries.
The secretary of the Security Council is former defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
Salyukov has for the past 11 years led the large Victory Day parades in Moscow's Red Square that mark the anniversary of Germany's surrender at the end of World War Two.
From January 2023, Salyukov was deputy to Valery Gerasimov, Russia's Chief of the General Staff, who was appointed by Putin as a commander in charge to lead Russia's war in Ukraine.
Salyukov has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and several other countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
34 minutes ago
- Reuters
IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire
June 5 (Reuters) - International monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine heard repeated rounds of gunfire that appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since routinely accused the other of attacking the plant and posing a threat to nuclear safety. Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported hearing at least five explosions between 11:30 a.m. and 13:45 p.m. local time, each preceded by gunfire, an IAEA statement said. The statement gave no indication of the origin of the drones and said there were no reports of any damage to the centre. "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. "As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." The statement said it was the fourth time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by drones. The plant's Russian management had earlier said Ukrainian drones had landed on the roof of the training center in "yet another attack" on the facility. It said there had been no casualties or damage. The Zaporizhzhia station, with all its reactors in shut down mode, produces no electricity. Before the war, it generated one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity. Grossi last week told Reuters that while Russia had "never hidden the fact" that it wanted to restart the plant, this could not be done soon as it lacked water for cooling and a stable power supply.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Starmer agrees to spend 3.5pc on defence after bowing to Nato pressure
Britain has agreed to significantly ramp up defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP after bowing to pressure from Nato. Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary-general, said a 'historic' decision had been made to invest more on tanks, fighter jets, air defence, drones and long-range missiles at a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels. The Dutchman proposed a rise in defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, and a further 1.5 per cent on related infrastructure, to meet the challenges posed by a resurgence of Moscow. It was only on Monday that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in his strategic defence review promised to spend 3 per cent of GDP on the military by the end of the next parliament, but failed to explain how that would be funded. That plan was undermined within 24 hours, after Nato demanded the Government raise that figure to 3.5 per cent. Now that Sir Keir has agreed to the further increase, he will face renewed pressure to set out concrete plans on how he can pay for it. It is expected that Nato's first spending plan in over a decade will be signed off when the alliance's leaders gather for their annual summit in The Hague later this month. The dramatic increase in defence spending was brokered under pressure from US president Donald Trump, who has suggested he could withdraw American support for the alliance if its members fail to hit expenditure targets. Mr Rutte acknowledged that governments started to spend more on defence in the wake of complaints by the US president during his first term in the White House. But the Nato chief added: 'We don't have to do this because of an audience of one, we have to do this to keep one billion people safe.' 'It's important the UK gets there' Earlier, Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, singled out the importance of Britain meeting the new goals in response to a question over Sir Keir's pledge to spend only 3 per cent of GDP on defence. 'We think everyone is going to get there, we really do. It's important they do. It's important that the UK gets there,' Mr Hegseth told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting in Brussels. He argued the extra investment by European allies and Canada was crucial to keep pace with a pledge by Mr Trump to spend $1 trillion on defence in an upcoming budget. 'When you consider the threats that we face, the urgency in the world, it's critical,' Mr Hegseth said. 'We don't need more flags, we need more fighting formations. We don't need more conferences. We need more capabilities, hard power.' Critics have argued that American demands for European governments to invest more in defence will hurt spending on hospitals, schools and other civilian projects. But Mr Rutte said the investment in weapons was needed more than ever, as Russia currently produces as much ammunition every three months as Nato does in a year. 'For the next three years, we are fine, but we have to start now. Otherwise three, four, five years from now, we are really under threat,' he added. 'I may be using rhetoric here, but I really mean it that you will have to get your Russian language course or go to New Zealand.' Talks on the exact details of the defence spending pledge to be made in The Hague will continue in the weeks running up to the summit. Departing the meeting in Brussels, Mr Hegseth said he was confident that there would be a deal. 'Countries in there are well exceeding 2 per cent, and we think very close, almost near consensus, on a 5 per cent commitment for Nato in The Hague later this month,' he said. Mr Hegseth said it was 'heartening' to hear his European counterparts agree to White House demands to become less reliant on America for the continent's security. The Pentagon chief earlier this year shocked Nato allies by insisting that America could no longer be Europe's main security guarantor, as it had to focus Washington's attention on the growing threat posed by China. 'I have total confidence we will get there,' Mr Rutte said on Thursday. 'Look at the Russian threat. The Chinese build-up. We live in a different world. We live in a more dangerous world.' Spain emerged as the country diplomats were most concerned about hitting the target, after its defence minister claimed it could meet the new capability targets while spending just 2 per cent of GDP. Margarita Robles later insisted Madrid would not veto any agreement, even if it did not agree with setting a 'fixed percentage' figure. The new capability targets will see a number of dramatic changes to European defence, including Germany increasing the size of its armed forces by 'around 50,000 to 60,000' more soldiers, according to defence minister Boris Pistorius. The Netherlands also expects to more than double its military from 70,000 to 200,000 personnel in the next five years. Without any reference to the 5 per cent spending goal, Defence Secretary John Healey said 'war-fighting readiness' was at the centre of future plans for Britain's armed forces.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
BBC News Quiz of the week: What did Taylor Swift buy back?
This week saw Ukraine mount an audacious drone attack on Russian airfields, Donald Trump ban people in 12 countries from travelling to the US, while Billie Piper returned to Doctor how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world?Quiz collated by Ben Fell. Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
