Nikolai Makarov has been appointed Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Yury Baluyevsky, who previously held this position, was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council.
The head of state made these new appointments public at a meeting with Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, Yury Baluyevsky and Nikolai Makarov.
The President also signed a decree awarding Yury Baluyevsky the order For Services to the Fatherland II degree.