A situation like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when spending on the military and law enforcement represented 7.4% of GDP.
Urgent| The secret of the sudden change in the Russian ruling house… Putin overthrows Shoigu
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Sunday, made a surprising decision to appoint a civilian economist as the new defense minister in his government.
President Putin’s surprising decision came to nominate Andrei Belousov, 65 years old, former deputy prime minister and specialist in economics, to replace his old ally Sergei Shoigu, 68 years old, as Minister of Defense.
Putin wants to become Shoigu, who was In charge of defense since 2012 and a long-time friend and ally, he is secretary of Russia’s powerful Security Council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev, whose co-adviser was in charge of the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin said.
The new position has not been announced. For Patrushev yet. These are the most important changes that President Putin has made to the military leadership since the launch of the military campaign in February 2022.
This step is seen as an attempt to make better use of the defense budget and harness more resources. Innovation to achieve victory in Ukraine after a conflict that lasted more than two years and caused heavy losses for both sides.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the change was important because Russia was approaching a union-like status The Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when spending on the military and law enforcement agencies represented 7.4% of GDP.
Peskov said it was important to ensure that spending was more in line with The general economy of the country. That is why Putin now wants to appoint a civilian economist to the position of the Ministry of Defense. Belousov, a former economy minister, is known to share the Russian leader’s vision of rebuilding a strong state, and has also worked with top technocrats who want more innovation and openness to new ideas.
Belousov plays a key role in supervising the Russian drone program.