Putin fires Russia navy commander: media

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has fired
the commander of Russia's navy, taking to at least four
the number of top brass dismissed since he appointed a
new defense minister, media in Russia reported on Friday.

The Moscow Times, an English-language daily, said Admiral
Vladimir Masorin may have angered the Kremlin by
accepting a U.S. award in August without advance
permission.

The paper said Masorin had not followed the established
practice of asking Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov
before accepting the Legion of Merit at a ceremony in
Washington.

Defence ministry and Kremlin spokesmen refused to comment
on the reports, saying they had not yet seen a decree
ordering Masorin's departure.

A Defence Ministry spokesman played down any suggestion
of a connection between the U.S. award and Masorin's
reported departure, saying other top military had
accepted similar honors in the past.

Masorin had reached the age of 60, at which military
officers are required to tender their resignation.
However, Putin can extend their contracts until they
are 65 -- something he declined to do with Masorin.

Russia's navy will now be run by Admiral Vladimir
Vysotsky, the commander of Russia's Northern Fleet.

In February, Putin promoted Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov, a close ally viewed as a potential president
ial successor, to the post of first deputy prime
minister and named Serdyukov, a little-known tax
official from St Petersburg, to head the ministry.

At least three other top officers, including Air
Force commander Vladimir Mikhailov, the head of the
Defense Ministry's International Cooperation
Department Anatoly Mazurkevich and the head of
department in charge of armaments Alexei Moskovsky,
have lost their jobs since Serdyukov's appointment.

Kommersant daily suggested that Serdyukov was
clearing the ministry of officers loyal to Ivanov,
a former KGB agent.

Serdyukov is the son-in-law of Viktor Zubkov, a
former head of a financial watchdog whom Putin
named on Wednesday as his new prime minister.

Kommersant suggested that armed forces chief of
staff Yuri Baluyevsky could be next in line for
sacking.