Russia’s top General resigns

Russian Chief of General Staff Yury Baluevsky has resigned. He will now be Deputy Secretary of the national Security Council. The news was announced by President Dmitry Medvedev.

The new officer to take the post is Nikolay Makarov, deputy to Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

There has been speculation among journalists about Baluevsky’s possible resignation for some time.

He publicly announced that he would resign in January 2007, when he turned 60. But President Putin rejected his request, saying he expected the general to serve for three more years.

It has also been reported that Baluevsky has had a long-running conflict with Serdyukov. It is claimed that military officer Baluevsky didn’t get on with the civilian Defence Minister when it came to the future of the Russian armed forces.

To see the official video of Gen. Baluevsky's resignation please follow the link.

General Yury Baluevsky biography

Born in 1947 in Ukraine. Graduated from military school in 1970.

Served in the Soviet group of armies in Germany.

Headed the Russian military group in the Caucasus during the Georgian-Abkhazian war.

Took part in talks with NATO on several issues, including missile defence and the reduction of strategic arms.

Headed Russia’s General Staff in 2004. Sponsored large-scale military reform about to be launched.