Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, rumors have spread about the incompetence of the dismissed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his extravagance and extravagance, and today he is being replaced and replaced by Andrei Belousov, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin.
This is how the Times newspaper began a report on Putin’s dismissal of Shoigu, pointing out that the latter is no stranger to extravagance, as anti-corruption activists revealed in 2015 that he was living in a pagoda-style complex worth 12 million pounds outside Moscow that was registered in the name of his wife’s sister, and it was It was built on land his 18-year-old daughter bought to hide that he was the real owner.
This dismissal comes after the arrest last April of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who the Times says lived for years in blatant extravagance, boasting of his ability to acquire villas, yachts, and Rolls Royce cars.
The newspaper said that Ivanov was widely accused of bribery, prompting some analysts to say that this was a clear message to his close ally and president, Sergei Shoigu.
Since Putin launched his war on Ukraine in 2022, the Times says, a reliance on meekness and incompetence has spread among the army, led by Shoigu (68 years old).
Putin replaced Shoigu with an experienced civilian technocrat, in one of the largest cabinet reshuffles in the past decade, according to the newspaper.
Belousov (65 years old) was First Deputy Prime Minister, an economist, and an advisor to Putin.
The newspaper attributes analysts to saying that Belousov’s mission will focus on tightening control over the reins, and the Times quotes, in this regard, Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, as saying that “Putin’s goal is to enhance the effectiveness of weapons production and optimally meet military needs.” “In this context, Belousov is a logical choice.”
As for military analyst Rob Lee, he believes that this appointment “was likely a reflection of Putin’s personal trust in Belousov, and the need for a better internal director to deal with the Ministry of Defense bureaucracy.”
In turn, Samuel Bendet, an expert in Russian military technology, believes that Belousov was “a great promoter of the development of domestic drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, in addition to supporting domestic research and development in the field of high technology.”
This appointment could also be a prelude to the removal of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army, Valery Gerasimov, as new defense ministers generally resort to appointing an ally of theirs in this role, although this may not be the case in time of war, according to the newspaper.
The Times ruled out the possibility of Shoigu being sidelined, highlighting Putin’s appointment of him as secretary of the Russian Security Council.