Putin appoints civilian economist to lead defence, surprising replacement for Shoigu

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has announced the replacement for Shoigu as defense minister in a move that has surprised many.

Replacement for Shoigu: Belousov Appointed as Defence Minister

Shoigu has acted in the role for 12 years, since 2012, and is now set to replace Nikolar Patrushev as the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, amidst the war against Ukraine.

The role of the secretary of the Security Council is a higher position than that of the defence minister, but appointing Andrew Belousov as his successor has been a curious step two years into the war— he is a civilian official, specialising in economics.

Belousov’s whose reputation precedes him as an official who prioritises economic decision-making and lacks battlefield knowledge, is an interesting development that comes as a part of restructuring the entire cabinet following the start of Putin’s fifth term.

Shoigu’s deputy, Timur Ivanov, had been recently arrested on bribery charges— which sheds some light on this decision. However, to nominate Belousov, approval from Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of the parliament must have been required.

According to Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, this nomination has been to align defence spending with economic interests and introducing innovation in military strategies. He admits that this decision has been made because Russia seemed to be approaching something alike to it’s situation in the mid 1980s where 7.4% of the state spending was budgeted to military and law enforcement.

He stressed that this shouldn’t be the case, as the national spending should align with the nation's interest at heart. That had been what led to Putin making the decision of appointing Belousov for the role. 

According to BBC Russia’s editor, Steve Rosenberg, Shoigu’s replacement had not come as a surprise since his position had become weaker and there had been rumours that he could lose his job. This change can also be seen as an attempt to defer the scrutiny that Ivanov had brought upon the allotment of national funding, trying to reassure public sentiment that their funds were being used wisely. 

Other changes made alongside Belousov’s appointment had been proposed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, reappointed by Putin. Shoigu’s shift to a position senior to his prior post will help Putin retain Shoigu as a key figure while also keeping Shoigu’s reputation intact. Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s veteran foreign minister, will continue in his current role.

This marks the most substantial shake-up in Russia’s military command since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, when Putin had sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine as a ‘special military operation.’ 

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

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