Russian President Vladimir Putin has fired the defense minister to clear the way for an investigation into a corruption scandal.

Mr. Putin said Tuesday that he has dismissed Anatoly Serdyukov from the powerful position and replaced him with former emergency minister and regional governor Sergei Shoigu, a staunch Putin ally.

The move comes just weeks after Russia's Investigative Committee opened a probe into the alleged sales of military assets by a state-owned company to commercial firms at a loss of nearly $100 million.

Russia's military has been plagued for years by accusations of corruption.