The Real Reason Why Russia's Defense Minister Was Fired

Anatoly Serdyukov. © RIA Novosti. Yana Lapikova

Was Russian Defence Minister Really Sacked Because He Was Cheating On His Wife, The Daughter Of One Of Putin's Closest Friends? -- Daily Mail

* Russian president announces on TV that he's fired Anatoly Serdyukov, 50
* He said he'd become liability due to probe into cheap sale of ministry assets
* Questions over his relationship with former top female military bureaucrat
* Her flat had dozens of pricey paintings, rare antiques and valuable rings
* Serdyukov was said to have been in her flat at time of the raid
* Replacement is popular former emergencies minister Sergei Shoigu, 57

Vladimir Putin did not sack his defence minister because of a multi-million-pound corruption scandal but because he was cheating on his wife - the daughter of one of the Russian president's closest allies, it has been claimed.

Mr Putin announced on TV yesterday that he had fired Anatoly Serdyukov, 50, saying he had become a liability due to a probe into the sale of ministry assets at suspiciously low prices.

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My Comment: When I first heard of this scandal, I had joked that corruption among Russia's elite is actually a resume enhancement, and that Anatoly Serdyukov would probably be promoted unless he had really irked someone more powerful than him. Well .... he did. So yes .... he was fired because he was cheating on his wife who so happens to be the daughter of the man that Russian President Putin probably trusts (after Prime Minister Medvedev) the most.