Sergei Shoigu, a long-standing ally of the president, has played a key role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
At least two people are said to have been killed after a section of a 10-storey block collapsed in Belgorod.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron tells the BBC the UK should focus on getting humanitarian aid into Gaza.
A key cable linking the region to South Africa was cut on Sunday morning, an industry expert says.
The BBC's Jonathan Beale meets front-line soldiers battling Russia's new incursion in north-east Ukraine.