Top U.S, Russian Military Officers Lose Jobs Over Sex Scandal

The U.S and Russia may not have many things in common but the two super powers have found their respective high ranking military officials in rather embarrassing dealings this month. In the wake of a sex scandal involving CIA director David Petraeus, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has ordered an ethics training to avoid future disgrace. Petraeus, last week, stepped down to forestall disclosure of an extramartial affair with his married biographer Paula Broadwell, who threatened another woman Jill Kelley he was also seeing. The fallout of the affair also landed Gen. John Allen in hot water after it was discovered he’d been exchanging emails with Kelley. The FBI uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of documents — most of them e-mails — that contain “potentially inappropriate” communication between Allen and Jill Kelley, according an official. "After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgement by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours," the four star general said in a statement before stepping down as CIA chief. Russian President Vladimir Putin fired two defense ministry officials and a reshuffle following a Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s involvement over a defence ministry firm sold property to insider companies at a loss of almost $100-million. Meanwhile, the Russian media has been speculating if Serdyukov lost favor with Putin over an extra-marital affair with female military bureaucrat Yevgeniya Vasilieva that incensed Serdyukov’s father-in-law and chairman of oil monopoly Gazprom, Viktor Zubkov. Serdyukov was reportedly dressed in a bathrobe and slippers when he opened the door to a police raid on his former employee’s apartment. According to various reports, officials found valuable paintings, rare antiques and more than 100 expensive rings. Scandals of this calibre are hardly new to either country. Just last year, Putin was accused of allegedly fathering a love child with 28-year-old Alina Kabayeva, a former gymnast and a member of the Russian parliament. U.S President’s Bill Clinton, John Kennedy and most recently Arnold Schwarzenegger were all embroiled in similar scandals. By Bindiya Thomas