Putin sacks defence chief as troops advance

Sergei Shoigu loses his position as Ukraine rushes re-enforcements to towns under fire near Kharkiv

VLADIMIR PUTIN has sacked his defence minister as Russian forces captured more villages in a cross-border attack near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Sergei Shoigu had been shifted from the post he has held since 2012 and would instead become secretary of Russia’s security council.

“Putin decided that the Russia Ministry of Defence should be headed by a civilian, the department should be open to innovation and advanced ideas,” he said late yesterday.

Mr Shoigu had been in charge of modernising the Russian army but Russia’s initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine was considered by many analysts to be a failure and he was criticised.

Analysts had said that with his forces on the front foot in Ukraine, and facing little opposition at home, Putin was confident enough to move forward with the sacking of his defence minister, a move widely expected.

Mr Peskov said that Andrei Belousov, previously a deputy prime minister and an economist, would replace Mr Shoigu.

Mr Shoigu’s switch means also means a demotion for Nikolai Patrushev, considered a Kremlin hawk and hardcore Putin ally

The reshuffle comes five days after Putin’s inauguration as Russia’s president and as his forces announced the capture of four more villages in a border zone near Kharkiv, bringing the total number of villages captured in Russia’s surprise three-day cross-border assault to nine.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said on X, formerly Twitter: “Sergei Shoigu has overseen over 355k casualties amongst his own soldiers & mass civilian suffering with an illegal campaign in Ukraine.

“Russia needs a Defence Minister who would undo that disastrous legacy & end the invasion – but all they’ll get is another of Putin’s puppets.”

Ukraine was last night rushing re-enforcements to the Russian border after a surprise attack saw at least nine villages captured.

The border villages near the second city of Kharkiv were under “round the clock” fire, Ukrainian official warned as desperate residents were evacuated under heavy shelling.

General Alexander Syrsky, commander of Ukraine’s military, said that the situation had “worsened significantly” in the border area.

“The situation is difficult but the Ukrainian defence forces are doing everything to hold defensive lines and positions and inflict defeat on the enemy,” he said.

Both sides said they had rushed extra equipment, weapons and soldiers to the area, effectively marking the opening of a new front line in the war. Fighting on the front line has focused on the Donbas region, around Chasiv Yar and Avdiivka and towards Kupiansk.