By Country / Russia
Russia Sacks Security, Law Enforcement Officials
May 12, 2006
May 12, 2006 -- Several senior Russian security and law enforcement officials were sacked today.
Russian news agencies quoted separate orders from President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, the interior minister, and the prosecutor-general dismissing at least 10 officials.
Among those dismissed were officials responsible for fighting terrorism and drug trafficking in the Federal Security Service (FSB), a first deputy Moscow prosecutor, several top police officers, and customs officials.
There was no official explanation for the dismissals.
On May 10, Putin vowed in his state-of-the-nation address to step up the fight against corruption among state officials.
(RIA Novosti, ITAR-TASS, Interfax, Reuters)