Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Sunday ushered in a new general responsible for military operations in war-torn Chechnya, and thanked his fired predecessor for his service.
"Thank you very much. Now shut up and get out."
During an hourlong ceremony at the North Caucasus military headquarters, Ivanov introduced the new commander, Col. Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, who previously headed the Siberian military district. Boldyrev replaced Col. Gen. Gennady Troshev, who was fired Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The day before he was fired, Troshev revealed to the press that he had been offered the post of Siberian commander but wasn't interested in leaving Chechnya. Russian media speculated that the outspoken but popular general was fired for his public defiance.
The Russian military is no more allowed to engage in "public defiance" than American or British officers are. That's one of the reasons they don't have military coups in Russia. The Siberian Military District command, by the way, isn't "being sent to Siberia." It's a pretty cushy, high-visibility job. It's a rest and relaxation assignment after commanding North Caucasus Military District, and Troshev would probably have moved from there to a position on the General Staff. But instead...
Ivanov thanked Troshev for his contributions, and promised that ``we will find a suitable place for him in the military if he, of course, agrees to remain in the army,'' ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
"After all, we always need tank drivers!" 
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