By Antony Clements-Thrower Vladimir Putin has removed his current defence minister and replaced him with a deputy prime minister. The Russian president’s long term friend Sergei Shoigu, 68, has been replaced in the role by little-known Andrey Belousov, 65, as defence minister in his new government. The decision appears to be a snub to the man he put in charge of his war Shoigu is a close ally, and Russia’s longest serving minister. Instead, he is set be put in charge of the Russian security council where he will replace long-time ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev. The 72-year-old is an virulently…
