Armed Forces Chief Shown the Door.

(From The Moscow Times)

President Dmitry Medvedev fired General Staff chief Yury Baluyevsky on Tuesday in a much-anticipated move after regular reports of disagreements with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov over the direction and implementation of military reforms.

Medvedev met in the Kremlin with Serdyukov, Baluyevsky and Ground Forces General Nikolai Makarov, whose appointment as Baluyevsky's replacement was announced immediately.

The commander in chief thanked the outgoing chief of staff for his service and announced that the four-star general was being transferred to a job as deputy secretary of the Security Council.

"Much has been accomplished and this experience will be needed at this new post," the president told the trio in televised comments.

Medvedev then made a point of explaining that the choice of Makarov, the Defense Ministry's chief of procurement, had come at Serdyukov's behest.

"I received a proposal from the defense minister to appoint his new first deputy as head of the General Staff," Medvedev said. "I've studied these proposals and I support them."