Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday replaced his defense minister Sergei Shoigu, a longtime ally, nominating an economist to take his place in the most substantial shake-up to the military’s command structure since Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022.
In a decree published Sunday, Putin nominated Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specializes in economics to replace Shoigu, who in turn was named as the new secretary of the Security Council, a post until now held by Nikolai Patrushev.
The elevation of an economist to lead Russia’s defense ministry signals the extent to which the war has become central to Russia’s economic paradigm. The Russian parliament was expected to approve Putin’s appointments this week.
Critics inside the Russian military have also blamed Shoigu, who has never been a professional soldier but holds the rank of general of the army, for failing to prepare the Russian Armed Forces for the war in Ukraine. His initial strategy to quickly topple the Ukrainian government and take Kyiv with minimal losses failed.
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