Putin set to exchange Shoigu as Russia’s defence minister | EUROtoday
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a shock new defence minister, nominating civilian Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specialises in economics, for the job greater than two years into the Ukraine battle, the Kremlin stated.
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Putin needs Sergei Shoigu, defence minister since 2012 and a long-standing ally, to turn into the secretary of Russia’s highly effective Security Council, changing incumbent Nikolai Patrushev, and to even have obligations for the military-industrial advanced, the Kremlin introduced on Sunday.
The modifications, sure to be accepted by parliamentarians, are probably the most vital Putin has made to the navy command since sending tens of 1000’s of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 in what he known as a particular navy operation.
The shake-up offers Shoigu a job that’s technically considered senior to his defence ministry function, guaranteeing continuity and saving Shoigu’s face.
Read extraPutin’s defence chief Shoigu survived Wagner’s problem – however for a way lengthy?
Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff and somebody with a extra hands-on function in terms of directing the battle, will stay in submit.
Sergei Lavrov, the nation’s veteran overseas minister, can even keep in his job, the Kremlin stated.
The appointment of Belousov, a civilian official identified for his financial decision-making quite than battlefield data, is the largest shock.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, informed reporters that the change made sense as a result of Russia was approaching a scenario just like the Soviet Union within the mid-Nineteen Eighties, when the navy and legislation enforcement authorities accounted for 7.4% of state spending.
That, stated Peskov, meant it was important to make sure such spending aligned with the nation’s general pursuits, which was why Putin now needed a civilian with an financial background within the defence ministry job.
“The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” Peskov stated.
The change can also be more likely to be seen by an try by Putin to topic defence spending to better scrutiny to make sure funds are successfully spent after a Shoigu ally and deputy defence minister was accused by state prosecutors of taking a bribe.
(Reuters)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240512-putin-set-to-replace-shoigu-as-russia-s-defence-minister