Vladimir Putin appoints ex-security council chief as Kremlin aide

It is often said that few hold as much influence over the president as Nikolai Patrushev

Vladimir Putin has appointed one of his closest allies, Nikolai Patrushev, as an official aide, in the latest reshuffle of his inner circle.

The 72-year-old was replaced as head of Russia's Security Council by sacked defence minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday.

His friendship with the Russian president dates back to the 1970s, when the pair worked in the KGB.

It is not clear whether Mr Patrushev's new role constitutes a demotion.

For a long time considered one of the most powerful men in Russia, and a protagonist in Mr Putin's campaign against the West, he will likely still hold a significant role.

Indeed, in modern Russia, you do not have to have a particular job title to have the president's ear.

• Steve Rosenberg: Why has Putin removed ally Sergei Shoigu as Russia's defence minister?

But Mr Putin remains the person who has the final say. It was his decision to start the war in Ukraine and all the big calls are taken by him.

Mr Patrushev is one of three Putin loyalists who have served with him ever since the 1970s in St Petersburg, when Russia's second city was still known as Leningrad.

Not only did he work with him in the KGB during the communist era, he replaced him as head of its successor organisation, the Federal Security Service (FSB), from 1999 to 2008. He then served as secretary of the Russian Security Council for 14 years.

This latest movement at the top of Russian politics also saw Mr Patrushev's son, Dmitry - seen by some as a possible successor to Mr Putin - promoted to deputy prime minister.

Mr Putin and Mr Patrushev pictured onboard a helicopter to visit a military outpost in 2008

Alexei Dyumin, Mr Putin's former bodyguard and governor of the Tula region, was also made an aide to the president.

Mr Dyumin will oversee the defence industry, while Mr Patrushev will have a remit for shipbuilding, Mr Putin's spokesman was quoted by state news agency TASS as saying.

The former is Putin's former bodyguard, now the governor of Tula region, and for a time there were rumours he might replace Mr Shoigu in defence.

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It has been alleged he was directly involved in leading the "little green men" that went into Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent annexation of Crimea.

With additional reporting from Vitaliy Shevchenko