MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin has appointed Andrei Bulyga, one of Russia’s deputy defense ministers since last year, as deputy secretary of the country’s powerful security council, according to a decree published on the Kremlin’s website on Saturday.

In a separate decree, Putin appointed Colonel-General Alexander Sanchik, who had been serving as commander of Russia’s southern military district, as a deputy defense minister, replacing Bulyga.

Bulyga, a lieutenant-general in the Russian army, had held the post of deputy minister in charge of logistical support since March 2024.He took office on the eve of a series of swirling corruption cases that began in April 2024 and has seen more than a dozen people, including three former deputy defense ministers, arrested on charges including embezzlement and bribe-taking.

Long-serving defense minister Sergei Shoigu was appointed secretary of the security council in May 2024, amid the corruption scandals and criticism of his forces’ performance in Ukraine.