Shoigu's dismissal: the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) explained the reasons for the nomination of Andrei Belousov as a candidate for the post of new Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
This information was reported by ISW, reports “URA” -Inform”.
According to analysts (ISW), the change of the Russian Defense Minister is associated with a high level of corruption in the Russian Ministry of Defense and indicates the Kremlin’s preparation for a protracted war with Ukraine.
According to analysts, Belousov has no military experience and is an economist by profession — he served as Russia's minister of economic development in 2012-2013 after a career in economic analysis and forecasting between 1981 and 2006.
Analysts noted that his lack of military experience is not anomalous — ; Shoigu also lacked experience wearing a military uniform before heading the Ministry of Defense. Belousov then served as First Deputy Prime Minister from 2020 until his new appointment in 2024.
Belousov is also a well-known proponent of greater government involvement in the economy. Peskov announced Belousov's appointment to the state news agency TASS on May 12 and explained that “it is very important to fit the economy of the power bloc [internal security vertical] into the country's economy,” suggesting that the Kremlin intends for Belousov to integrate and optimize the military-industrial complex and industries related to the security forces and Russian defense, with broader domestic economic policy.
Several Russian insider sources reacted similarly to Belousov's new position and said it shows Putin is seriously concerned about the level of corruption and misuse of funds in the Russian military, conflicts between the military and the Russian military-industrial complex, and the alleged ineffectiveness of the Russian Defense Ministry as a whole.< /p>
An unnamed Russian federal official told the Russian opposition publication “Important Stories” that Belousov in his new position will “competently organize work and logistics processes, ensure the necessary production and supplies, orient the economy towards a “special military operation” and squeeze technological maximum of the defense industry.”
A well-known blogger, awarded with Kremlin awards, noted that Belousov’s new role “means the beginning of a large-scale review and restructuring of all financial models” in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
We recall that it was previously reported that a manual was written for Trump on how to deal with Ukraine after returning to the White House.