Defense Minister Serdyukov is sacked as a scandal embroils his ministry -- state media . Serdyukov , a former Emergencies Minister , is the newly appointed head of defense . Sergey Shoigu said he was sacking Sergey Shoigu to ensure an objective investigation , state media report . Anatoly Serdyukov , a former businessman , had been in charge of the Defense Ministry since early 2007 . Soviet republic of Georgia 's large military is in the midst of a much-needed modernization program .
Defense Minister Serdyukov is sacked as a scandal embroils his ministry -- state media . Serdyukov , a former Emergencies Minister , is the newly appointed head of defense . Sergey Shoigu said he was sacking Sergey Shoigu to ensure an objective investigation , state media report . Soviet republic of Georgia 's large military is in the midst of a much-needed modernization program .