Putin sacks defence minister over corruption scandal Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new defence minister after his predecessor was accused of corruption. Putin named former emergencies minister Sergey Shoigu as the new man in the job. He has long been a loyal ally to the Russian president. He replaces sacked Anataloy Serdyukov, who lost his job over an investigation into a suspected multi-million-euro property scam at a defence ministry holding company. Serdyukov is a former furniture salesman who rose through the ranks of the Russian civil service to become the country's top tax collector. He was then appointed as defence minister in 2007. But his lack of military background made him unpopular amongst the country's fighting forces. Servicemen and veterans opposed the reforms he had been brought in to implement, including wide-ranging spending cuts. More about: Defence, Russia, Russian politics, Security, Vladimir Putin