Putin removes long-time ally Sergei Shoigu as Russia’s defence minister; Here's why

In a major cabinet shake-up, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed his longtime ally Sergei Shoigu as the country’s defence minister. The decision is touted as the most significant reshuffle to the military command since the commencement of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In a surprise announcement, the Kremlin stated that Andrei Belousov will be replacing Shoigu and will assume the office soon. Belousov has served as Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister in the past and is known to be specialised in economics.

The decision came just a week after Putin was sworn into his fifth term as Russia’s president. While addressing the media following the announcement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Shoigu is being “relieved” of his post, citing the country’s rising military spending and the need for “innovation,” The Guardian reported.

However, Peskov also stated that the ex-Russian defence minister has been appointed as the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council. With this, Shoigu will also become Putin’s deputy in Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission.

Meanwhile, Nikolai Patrushev, who held the position before the announcement would be “transferred to another job.”

The end of an era

It is pertinent to note that Shoigu has been Russia’s longest-serving minister who assumed the leadership of the defence ministry in 2012. Before this, he was appointed as Russia’s emergency services minister.

As a defence minister of the country, Shoigu was tasked with modernising Russia’s military and was believed to have direct access to the Russian president. It in not a hidden fact that Shoigu has been a close friend of the Russian leader and is known for going on regular hunting and fishing trips with him in Siberia.

The Russian minister’s popularity grew immensely after Moscow successfully annexed Crimea back in 2014. Shoigu was considered as the main mastermind behind the operation.

However, Shoigu has been receiving a major backlash due to setbacks the Russian military witnessed in the ravaging Russia-Ukraine war. He has also been criticised for his inability to root out the widespread corruption that continues to plague the army.

Shoigu’s position as the country’s defence minister started to dwindle last month when the Russian security service arrested his long-term confidant Timur Ivanov, a deputy defence minister. Ivanov was charged with being involved in long-scale corruption.

While on paper Shoigu’s new position is considered higher ranking than his role in the defence ministry, many people believe that Putin made this decision to let his long-term friend “save his face”.

Why a civilian defence minister?

When asked why a country which is currently embroiled in war is choosing a civilian defence minister, Peskov highlighted the need to control spending in the raging war. “It’s very important to put the security economy in line with the economy of the country so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment,” Peskov said.

He insisted that the Russian president had decided that the veteran economist should lead the ministry to ensure the department was “open to innovations and advanced ideas”. “The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” he added.

Belousov graduated from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Economics in 1981 and is known for practising sambo and karate in his youth. However, he has never served the armed forces in his lifetime.

In 2000, he became a non-staff adviser to the Russian prime minister and joined the economy ministry as deputy minister six years later. From the year 2008 to 2012, he was the director for economics and finance. It was the same year Putin was serving as Russia’s Prime Minister.

In 2012, he was appointed as the economics minister and from 2013 until 2020, Belousov served as adviser to the Russian president.  From 2020 he has been working as first deputy prime minister.

With inputs from agencies.