Kremlin Doubles Down on Long Haul Approach in Ukraine with Cabinet Shakeup
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Russian President Vladimir Putin is replacing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with civilian economist Andrei Belousov in a rare cabinet shakeup that experts believe aims to make Russia’s war machine run more smoothly.
Shoigu’s Exit: Shoigu maintained his post for 12 years and is being retained as secretary of the Security Council, replacing longtime Putin ally Nikolai Patrushev. Analysts believed the writing was on the wall for Shoigu when his deputy Timur Ivanov was arrested on corruption charges last month.
Who Is Belousov?: Belousov is the son of a prominent Soviet economist and has previously served as minister of economic development, economic adviser to Putin, and most recently first deputy prime minister. He has no military experience, but those who know him have described him as “no-nonsense” and “not corrupted.”
What It Means: The move signals Russia’s doubling down on its attritional approach in Ukraine, which it hopes to wear down through a sustained effort on the battlefield.
Key Quotes: Alexandra Prokopenko, a former central bank official, said, “Belousov’s a prominent supporter of the role of industry in the economy, so he’s all for pumping the economy with cash via the defense sector.” An unnamed person who’s known Putin and Belousov for decades said, “Belousov… won’t pretend to lead the army like a general with all these medals. He’s a workaholic. He’s a technocrat. He’s very honest, and Putin knows him very well.”
How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum noted Belousov’s appointment as unexpected but logical.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Sergei Shoigu’s sacking points to yet more attrition in Ukraine
Vladimir putin has never been one to radically overhaul his top team. Those who fall foul of his rules may find themselves in jail, or blown out of the sky. But Russia’s autocrat typically prefers to keep the loyal close, watched over, and rewarded. News of the dismissal of Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister of 12 years, in the middle of war, thus raised eyebrows. Replacing him with Andrei Belousov, a technocrat with no previous direct relations to the security bloc, was even more unexpected.
When all the cards landed, Mr...
From the Center
Belousov will bring economic rigour to Russian defence spending
In his final public appearance as Russia’s defence minister on Thursday, Sergei Shoigu saluted Vladimir Putin atop Lenin’s mausoleum on Red Square, clad in a general’s uniform bedecked with medals.
Andrei Belousov, appointed as his successor on Sunday, is cut from a different cloth. A Soviet-trained economist, Belousov has never served a day in the army and has served Putin, Russia’s president, in various roles as a civilian adviser on economics.
Putin’s surprise tapping of Belousov to run the defence ministry indicates Putin wants a major shift in the handling...
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What the Shoigu reshuffle means for Putin’s war machine
There was an expectation that the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s new government would see some change in the Russian security apparatus, but few predicted that Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu would be replaced by an economist, Andrey Belousov, with Shoigu becoming secretary of the Security Council.
With an economist taking over the defence ministry, and the old minister taking up a policy and advisory role, the technocrats are in the ascendant. The goal though is not peace, but a more efficient war.
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