Russian leader Vladimir Putin has removed Sergei Shoigu from his longtime position as defense minister and appointed him to lead the country’s security and defense council, a consultative body that advises the president, in a major shake-up of the Kremlin’s security team, the Kremlin said Sunday.

At the security council, Shoigu will succeed Nikolai Patrushev, one of the most powerful officials in Russia, who was not immediately named to any new position, prompting speculation about his dismissal.