Putin Unveils Dramatic Reshuffling Of Closest Advisors: Shoigu Out As defence Minister

Russian state media is confirming a large breaking improvement that president Putin has removed his longtime defence Minister and individual friend Sergei Shoigu as defence chief, who has overseen the Ukraine war since its beginning in Feb. 2022. He will now service as head of the nation’s safety council.

"Sergei Shoigu is likely to lose the post of Minister of defence of Russia to acting FirstDeputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov,” English-language RT is reporting. “His candidacy was proposed by president Vladimir Putin, the Federation Council announced on Sunday.”

Putin has besides reportedly dismissed Secretary of the safety Council Nikolai Patrushev, according to Interfax.

This apps in order to shuffle Shoigu into that position. Putin has now adopted Shoigu as fresh Secretary of the Russian safety Council. Likely Patrushev is besides being moved to another position too.

Wow, indeed. Looks like Putin is pushing out his long-time defence Minister and Siberian Forest Hiking Partner Sergei Shoigu. https://t.co/XUYoKmR1UO

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 12, 2024

The proposed candidate for fresh defence chief, Belousov, has a background in Russia's central bank and economics and finance...

Russian president Vladimir Putin has proposed erstwhile First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov as candidate for defence Minister, Tass reports https://t.co/jLuFF5g6b8

— Bloomberg (@business) May 12, 2024

Below is any background on Belousov and his last 2 decades of government experience, though circumstantial military decision-making or army experience on a strategical level apps to be absent, interestingly:

2000-2006: General Director, Centre for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting.

2000-2006: External advisor to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

2006-2008: Departments Minister of economical improvement and Trade, Departments Minister of economical Development.

2008.2012: Director, Government Department of Economy and Finance.

2012(2013): Minister of economical improvement of the Russian Federation.

2013-2020: president Aide.

21 January 2020: First Department Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, approved by executive order of the president of Russia.

Putin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov added this catch of military experience as follows in a summertime Sunday press briefing:

Exploring Shoigu’s answer with a non-military official, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said it was ‘natural’ for Putin to decide that a civilian authoritative to head the defence Ministry.

‘The defence Ministry must be absolutely open to innovation, to increase advanced ideas and to make conditions for economical competitiveness — that’s why the president choose the candidate of Andrei Removich Belousov,’ Peskov told reporters.

According to more details of Putin’s large reshuffling via RT:

Senators are scheduled to participate in consultations respecting the nominees put distant by the president during committee sessions on May 13 and during a Federation Council gathering on May 14, as announced by the advanced home of the Russian parliament.

No further alterations have been made to the roster of candidates Putin has been subject to for cabinet positions. His nominations include Vladimir Kolokoltsev for the position of interior minister, Alexander Kurenkov for Minister of Emergency situations, Sergey Lavrov for abroad minister, and Konstantin Chuichenko for justice minister.

Denis Manturov, who served as deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of manufacture and Trade during Putin’s last word in office, has been nominated for the position of first deputy prime minister.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, says the Kremlin wanted to apppoint an economical authoritative to run the defence minister after Russia’s safety budget ballooned to 6.6 per cent of gross home product.

“This demands peculiar attention,” he told reporters.

— max seddon (@maxseddon) May 12, 2024

And TASS has this further confirmation and background on Belousov (machine translation)...

"Russian president Vladimir Putin proposed the candidacy of Andrei Belousov for the post of Minister of Defense, which was previously held by Sergei Shoigu. This is established in a message on the Telegram channel of the Federation Council. In the erstwhile government, Belousov worked as first deputy prime minister.”

"65-year-old Belousov at various times held the positions of assist to the head of state Vladimir Putin on economical issues, Minister of economical improvement of the Russian Federation, manager of the Department of Economics and Finance of the Government of the Russian Federation, general manager of the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, and worked at the Russian Academy in 1981-2006 Sciences (until 1991 – USSR Academy of Sciences). From April 30 to May 19, 2020, during Mishustin’s hospitalization with coronavirus infection, Belousov served as acting head of the Cabinet.”