Kremlin Denies Rumors of Defense Minister Removal

Russian President Putin proposes removing Defense Minister Shoigu, nominating First Deputy Prime Minister Belousov. The change follows the arrest of a deputy defense minister on bribery charges. This announcement comes as Russia intensifies its offensive in Ukraine's northeast, forcing civilian evacuations and Ukrainian unit withdrawals. The intense battles have led to the emergence of Vovchansk as a key battleground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed removing Defence 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.

The change comes weeks after Timur Ivanov, a Russian deputy defence minister in charge of military construction projects, was jailed pending an investigation and trial on charges of bribery.

In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration.

The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday.

The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-called contested gray zone along the Russian border.

By Sunday afternoon, the town of Vovchansk, among the largest in the northeast with a prewar population of 17,000, emerged as a focal point in the battle.