Sergei Shoigu: Why did Vladimir Putin decide to relieve the Russian Defense Minister from his post?

Cabinet reshuffles don’t happen very often in Russia, so this is a big moment at the top of Russian politics.

But Vladimir Putin remains the one who ultimately makes the decisions. He was the one who decided to start the war in Ukraine, and he also makes all the major decisions in the country.

Belousov’s appointment as Minister of Defense comes as a surprise to many, given his previous experience in the economic field.

But analysts point out that President Putin is seeking to align the Russian economy more closely with the war effort.

The decision to appoint an economist in charge of the Ministry of Defense reflects the Kremlin’s changing priorities, the huge amounts of money that the Russian authorities are currently pouring into the war in Ukraine, and Russia’s need to enhance the efficiency of the armed forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed appointment of a civilian to the position of defense minister shows that the minister’s role calls for “innovation.”

He added that Russia became more like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when a high percentage of GDP went to military spending.

As a result, he explained, it was necessary to ensure that military spending was better integrated into the overall Russian economy.

“The one who is most open to innovations will be the one who will win on the battlefield,” Peskov stressed.

In recent months, there have been rumors that Shoigu’s position has become weaker and that he may lose his job.

In April, one of his deputies – Timur Ivanov – was arrested on corruption charges in a rare move against such a senior official.

The Russian campaign in Ukraine was supposed to last a few weeks at most. Instead, it is now in its third year and has suffered military setbacks and significant losses in men and materiel.

Although Shoigu will remain in a senior and powerful position as Secretary of the Security Council, this move appears to be a demotion.

It is not yet clear what will happen to the current Chairman of the Council, Nikolai Patrushev.

Shoigu enjoys close relations with President Putin, and often accompanies him on hunting trips in his native Siberia.

He gave him the defense portfolio despite his humble military background, which angered some of his senior officers.

As a civil engineer, Shoigu rose to prominence as head of the Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Relief in the 1990s.

In 2023, Shoigu became involved in a public dispute with Wagner’s mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, over Russia’s conduct in the war.

Prigozhin, who led a short-lived rebellion against Moscow, accused Shoigu of being a “dirty, old clown” in widely circulated audio messages.

The mercenary leader died in a plane crash while flying from St. Petersburg to Moscow in August 2023. The Kremlin denied responsibility for the accident.

According to unnamed government officials quoted by the independent Russian website The Bell, Belousov is seen as “a hard-line defender of the state who believes Russia is surrounded by enemies.”

Like President Putin, he is close to the Russian Orthodox Church. He is said to be a fan of martial arts – as is President Putin – who practiced karate and the Russian combat sport sambo in his youth.

Before becoming deputy prime minister, he worked for several years as an aide to Putin, and was said to have been the only member of the president’s economic delegation to support the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Putin was sworn in as the country’s president for the fifth time on Tuesday after winning the recent Russian elections with 87 percent of the vote without facing any known opponents. He has been president of Russia since May 2000.