Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has discharged...

Those relieved of duty included two deputy interior ministers, Col. Gen. Nikolai Ovchinnikov and Col. Gen. Arkady Yedelev, who were replaced by Sergei Bulavin and Sergei Gerasimov.

Although Russia"s Defense Ministry has long been under civilian leadership, serving police continue to run the Interior Ministry and both Bulavin and Gerasimov are senior officers.

Other top officials who lost their jobs include Maj. Gen. Viktor Sosyura, the interior minister of Buryatia, who is facing smuggling charges; Maj. Gen. Nikolai Osyak, the interior minister of the republic of Karachai-Circassia; and Maj. Gen. Viktor Lesnyak, Tuva"s interior minister.

Most of the dismissed generals were chiefs of regional police administrations and some heads of federal Interior Ministry directorates.

Earlier in the day, Medvedev moved to introduce tougher punishment for police found guilty of crimes, submitting a bill to the parliament imposing harsher sentences than for civilians

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