'BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE' - In this undated photo distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov is seen poseing for an official photo. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, said in a statement Tuesday that chief of the ministry's main personnel directorate Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov was arrested on the charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, center, gestures as he waits to attend a ceremony inaugurating Vladimir Putin as President of Russia at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed removing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from his post. Putin nominated First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov for the role. His appointment must now be approved by Russian lawmakers. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu leave Red Square after the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed removing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from his post. Putin nominated First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov for the role. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
'BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE' - In this undated photo distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, Russian Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov is seen during a military parade in a Russian military academy in Krasnodar, Russia,. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, said in a statement Tuesday that chief of the ministry's main personnel directorate Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov was arrested on the charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
FILE - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is driven along Red Square in an Aurus car during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Kremlin says Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Sergei Shoigu as secretary of Russia’s national security council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev. The appointment Sunday comes after Putin proposed to appoint Andrei Belousov as the country’s defense minister instead of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, talks with Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after a meeting with military leaders in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 19, 2023. The Kremlin says Russia's President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Sergei Shoigu as secretary of Russia's national security council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev. The appointment Sunday comes after Putin proposed to appoint Andrei Belousov as the country's defense minister instead of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)