Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is sacked as a scandal in his ministry -- state media . Sergei Shoigu , a former Emergencies Minister , is the newly appointed minister of defense . Putin said he was sacking Serdyukov to ensure an objective investigation , state media said . Moscow ( CNN ) -- Russia 's large military is in the midst of a much - needed modernization program .
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is sacked as a scandal in his ministry -- state media . Sergei Shoigu , a former Emergencies Minister , is the newly appointed minister of defense . Putin said he was sacking Serdyukov to ensure an objective investigation , state media said . Russia 's large military is in the midst of a much - needed modernization program .