Sergei Shoigu was dismissed from the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, which he held since 2012. He is replaced by Andrei Belousov, former First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Andrei Belousov is 65 years old. Experts on the Kremlin’s political backstage note that Belousov does not belong to any clan or political grouping and has never had his own team.
In 2012-2013, Andrei Belousov served as Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, then, until January 2020, he was Assistant to the President and then was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister. Andrei Belousov is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Russian Railways.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained Vladimir Putin’s decision to appoint a civilian to the Defense Ministry this way: «the ministry should be open to innovations and advanced ideas.»
At the same time, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov remains in his post. So do the heads of other security agencies.
As for Sergei Shoigu, he has been appointed Secretary of the Russian Security Council. His predecessor Nikolai Patrushev was dismissed «in connection with the transition to another job.» Where the chief «hawk» and ideologist of the «war party» will go is not yet clear. Insiders do not rule out that Patrushev may be appointed a senator for life.
