Russia's President Vladimir Putin has made further shake-ups to his defence ministry, weeks after he replaced longtime Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

His latest move is to fire four deputy defence ministers, and appointing a daughter of his cousin to fill one of the posts.

According to Reuters in a Jun. 17 report, citing Kremlin statements, the dismissed officials are Nikolay Pankov, Ruslan Tsalikov, Tatiana Shevtsova and Pavel Popov.

These officials were in charge of various responsibilities, including education of army personnel, disaster response and financial matters.

Family matter

Among the replacements was Anna Tsivileva, a daughter of Putin's late cousin.

Tsivileva's husband is Sergei Tsivileva, who is serving as Russia's energy minister.

Tsivileva previously served as the head of a state fund to help those participating in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Her new duties include ensuring housing and social support for military personnel.

The others appointed to replace the deputy defence ministers are Leonid Gorin, Oleg Savelyev and Pavel Fradkov.

Fradkov is the son of former Russia prime minister Mikhail Fradkov, who served during Putin's first term as president.

Shoigu gone

Putin's move comes after sacking long-serving Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in May 2024.

Shoigu was one of the principal planners and executors of the invasion of Ukraine.

His replacement is Andrei Belousov, a civilian economist who has held a number of government roles.

His background in financial administration was portrayed by the Kremlin as an asset, as Putin shows no signs of ending the invasion he launched in 2022.

Top image from Nijhuis Claretta/X and People's Daily/FB