Putin fires nearly 20 officials ahead of victory over fascism

Russian President Vladimir Putin has fired nearly 20 officials, just a day before Moscow holds a parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Interpress

Nearly 20 officials were dismissed yesterday by presidential decree, RIA Novosti reported. Among them were Lieutenant General of the Police Sergey Lavrov and Andrei Pilipchuk, head of media relations at the Interior Ministry.

Vladimir Padalko, first deputy commander of the Central Military District Command, was also fired, according to Gazeta.

The Kremlin is welcoming world leaders to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on May 9. Modern military equipment and Russian military personnel will play a big role in today's ceremony.

The incident also comes amid major changes in the Russian military. Putin has made military modernization a key priority, and signed a new military doctrine in December 2014 that updated the goals of the country’s armed forces.

According to VnExpress