VLADIMIR Putin has proposed sacking his long-term Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, more than two years into the Ukraine war.
Shoigu, 68, has been a constant ally of the Russian tyrant but could now be replaced by former deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov, the upper house of Russia’s parliament announced on Sunday.
APSergei Shoigu has served as Russia’s defence minister since 2012[/caption]
ReutersPutin is now looking to replace his long-term ally more than two years into the Ukraine war[/caption]
APFormer deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov is said to be in line to to take over from Shoigu[/caption]
Parliament’s approval of the new appointment is all but guaranteed, as there is virtually no opposition, reports claim.
Putin has also reportedly proposed Sergei Lavrov remain as foreign minister as part of his backroom shuffle as he begins his new six-year term as Russia’s president.
The change comes weeks after Timur Ivanov, a Russian deputy defense minister in charge of military construction projects, was jailed pending an investigation and trial on charges of bribery.
In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration.
The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia’s renewed ground offensive in Ukraine’s northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday.
The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-called contested gray zone along the Russian border.
By Sunday afternoon, the town of Vovchansk, among the largest in the northeast with a prewar population of 17,000, emerged as a focal point in the battle.
Volodymyr Tymoshko, the head of the Kharkiv regional police, said that Russian forces were on the outskirts of the town and approaching from three directions.
Infantry fighting is already taking place, he said.
A Russian tank was spotted along a major road leading to the town, Tymoshko said, illustrating Moscow’s confidence to deploy heavy weaponry.
Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the town as Russian forces hurled shells.
Evacuation teams worked nonstop throughout the day to take residents, most of whom were older, out of harm’s way.
At least 4,000 civilians have fled the Kharkiv region since Friday, when Moscows forces launched the operation, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in a social media statement.
Heavy fighting raged Sunday along the northeast front line, where Russian forces attacked 27 settlements in the past 24 hours, he said.
Analysts say the Russian push is designed to exploit ammunition shortages before promised Western supplies can reach the front line.
Ukrainian soldiers said that the Kremlin is using the usual Russian tactic of launching a disproportionate amount of fire and infantry assaults to exhaust their troops and firepower.
By intensifying battles in what was previously a static patch of the front line, Russian forces threaten to pin down Ukrainian forces in the northeast, while carrying out intense battles farther south where Moscow is also gaining ground.
It comes after Russia stepped up attacks in March targeting energy infrastructure and settlements, which analysts predicted were a concerted effort to shape conditions for an offensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that halting Russia’s offensive in the northeast was a priority, and that Kyiv’s troops were continuing counteroffensive operations in seven villages around the Kharkiv region.
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