Putin To Replace His Defence Minister In Surprise Reshuffle: Know More Here

After the West attempted—and mostly failed—to weaken Russia’s armed forces through sanctions, Vladimir Putin is replacing his defence minister with a civilian economist to better prepare his country for an economic war.

In an abrupt cabinet change on Sunday night, the Russian president suggested Andrei Belousov, a 65-year-old economics specialist and former deputy prime minister, take Sergei Shoigu’s (68-year-old) place as defence minister.

Rebuilding a strong state is something that Mr. Belousov, a former minister of economics and a man close to Mr. Putin, believes in. He has also collaborated with top technocrats loyal to Mr. Putin who are open to new ideas and desire more innovation.

The news was made amid Russia’s resurgent armoured advance into northeastern Ukraine, where thousands of people are said to have abandoned their homes in the Kharkiv area.

The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, stated that “another of Putin’s puppets” would be a good choice to succeed Mr. Shoigu.

Writing on X, he said: “Sergei Shoigu has overseen over 355k casualties amongst his own soldiers & mass civilian suffering with an illegal campaign in Ukraine. Russia needs a Defence Minister who would undo that disastrous legacy & end the invasion – but all they’ll get is another of Putin’s puppets.”

Mr. Shoigu, who has served as Russia’s defence minister since 2012, is slated to take over as the council’s secretary.

The military command restructuring is the biggest move Mr. Putin has made since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, the move made sense since Russia was headed toward a situation similar to that of the Soviet Union in the middle of the 1980s when the GDP was 7.4% accounted for by the military and law enforcement.

That’s why Mr. Putin now wanted a civilian economist to head the defence ministry, according to Mr. Peskov, who also added that it was critical to making sure that such expenditure matched and was better integrated into the nation’s entire economy.

“The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” Mr Peskov said.

The harshest sanctions ever placed on a major economy haven’t stopped Russia’s economists from ensuring economic growth and stability thus far, even if the shortcomings of the Russian military were exposed soon after the invasion.

Even though it was unexpected, Mr. Putin’s action maintains equilibrium at the top of the intricate web of allegiances that constitutes the current political structure.

In order to maintain continuity and preserve Mr. Shoigu’s reputation, the reorganization grants him a position that is nominally more senior than his position in the defense ministry. Chief of Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov, who has a more active role in leading the fight, will continue to hold his position.