Putin to keep demoted ally Patrushev on Russia's Security Council

In one of the most surprising moves in the May reshuffle of his entourage and the government, Putin moved Patrushev from his 16-year stint as the country's security chief to a position with virtually no power - to oversee shipbuilding as a Kremlin aide. With no explanation given for the demotion, Putin stirred weeks of media and diplomatic speculations on what would happen to Patrushev, viewed for years as one of Russia's most powerful figures, and what it means for Russia's course.

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