Who is Putin’s new defense minister Andrei Belousov?

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday named former Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belosov as Russia’s new defense minister, replacing longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu in a shake-up of the Kremlin.

Economist Belosov was an unlikely figure, highlighting how Russia is moving its economy to war mode as it launches a new offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkov region.

Shoigu has served as Russia’s defense minister since 2012 and was appointed chairman of the Kremlin Security Council.

The announcement came days after President Putin, 71, was officially sworn in for a fifth term, marking the start of at least another six years as Russia’s leader. He is now Russia’s longest-serving leader since Catherine the Great in 1796, surpassing the record held by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

What you need to know about Belousov

Belousov, 65, was born in Moscow, where he earned a degree in economics and worked as an academic for several years. BBC News reported. The paper added that he served as an assistant to the Russian prime minister in the late 1990s and was later appointed minister of economic development in 2012.

In 2013, Belousov served as an aide to President Putin until he was appointed deputy prime minister in 2020. According to the Associated Press.

In the latter role, he contributed to the development of the country’s economic strategy and promoted stronger state control and presence in the economy, the newswire noted.

According to multiple media reports, in a leaked letter in 2018, he proposed redirecting approximately $7.6 million in “excess revenue” from 14 metallurgical, chemical, and petrochemical companies, with a wide range of aroused considerable criticism.

Belousov is considered one of Putin’s strongest allies, and media reports say he was the only member of Putin’s economic team to quickly support the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Reported.

Notably, he does not cooperate with the military or other law enforcement agencies, and his appointment is widely seen as a way to tighten control over military spending as Russia experiences depleted wealth and costly sanctions. ing.

Sam Green, a professor of Russian politics at King’s College, London, said: “Mr Belousov’s appointment is partly a reflection of how central war has become to the economy, and how the economy has become the main driver of war. It’s about recognizing what’s central.” The Washington Post.

“But it’s also much more than that. This is an attempt to reshape what has become one of the key dividing lines within President Putin’s power elite.” He continued, referring to ongoing tensions with security- and defense-focused leaders.

Analysts and people familiar with Belousov told the Post that Belousov has shown little political ambition.

“He was always very calm, very professional,” Russian economist Konstantin Sonin, who has met Mr. Belosov many times, told the Post. “And he was by far the most effective advocate of industrial policy, state involvement, and state-led growth.”

According to the newspaper, she said Putin “trusts” Belousov and that Belousov “has no charisma, no political support, no political base,” which is why Putin’s preference for a leader is so strong. It was pointed out that it is consistent with

Asked Monday about Belousov’s appointment and the reorganization of the Kremlin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said: It’s run by one man, Vladimir Putin, and he makes the decisions. ”

“He may move from one specialist to another and take on different roles, but at the end of the day he seems bound and determined to provoke a brutal war of aggression in Ukraine. We will accept whatever happens, we will support Ukraine together with the coalition of nations, and we will see what happens.”

Sullivan declined to answer directly when asked by reporters about comments by Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who argued that the latest regime change shows Russia is expanding its war effort. .

“I have no particular comment on the nature of this change in their government,” Sullivan said. “I see these speculations by the Ukrainians, and it’s not unreasonable, but I can’t draw any conclusions at this point. We’ll have to see what happens.”