MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed a number of senior high-ranking officials of the federal security service FSB, presidential property management department, the Defense Ministry and the Interior Ministry, the Kremlin’s press-service said.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision followed the election of the officials in question as corresponding members or full members of the Russian Academy of Sciences in defiance of recommendations from the head of state to the contrary.

"Yes, this is true," Peskov said when asked if the dismissal followed their election as Academy of Sciences’ members.

The president dismissed the chief of the registration and archive funds directorate of the federal security service FSB, Lieutenant-General Vasily Khristoforov from his post and military service for age reasons.

Deputy chief of the presidential property management directorate, head of the presidential property management directorate’s main medical department Konstantin Kotenko, chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s main military medical directorate Aleksandr Fisun and Deputy Interior Minister, head of the Interior Ministry’s investigations department Aleksandr Savenkov were dismissed of their own accord.

At a meeting of the presidential council for science and education last week President Putin asked Russian Academy of Sciences President Vladimir Fortov why several senior officials had been elected as RAS members in defiance of his objections. Putin he was going to give such officials "a chance to dedicate themselves to science, as their research activity look far more important to them than their routine administrative duties at their posts in bodies of power and management."

The president said that in defiance of his instructions several officials of the presidential property management department, Education Ministry, Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry, federal security service FSB and a number of other agencies participated in the elections.

The RAS has told TASS fourteen senior officials, including the chief of the Defense Ministry’s main military medical directorate Aleksandr Fisun had become its members this year. The elections of RAS members ended on October 28 this year. The candidatures of 176 newly-elected full members and 323 new corresponding members of the Academy of Sciences were approved. The title of RAS member can be rejected only if the scientist declares this intention in advance and the motion is supported by a majority at a general meeting of the Academy. The next RAS general meeting is due at the end of March 2017.