Putin replaces defense minister with economist

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov

Having an economist as defense minister reflects the "changing priorities of the Kremlin"

(Image credit: Sefa Karacan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

published 13 May 2024

What happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin kicked off his fifth term in office by unexpectedly replacing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister with a long career in government finance and economic development. Shoigu was appointed secretary of Russia's Security Council.

Who said what

Putin wanted a defense minister "open to innovation and cutting-edge ideas" and able to fit Russia's defense budget "into the country's wider economy," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Putin is treating his Security Council as a "reservoir" for his "'former' key figures — people who he can't in any way let go, but doesn't have a place for," like former President Dmitry Medvedev.

What next?

Having an economist as defense minister reflects the "changing priorities of the Kremlin" two years into its costly war in Ukraine, said BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg. Peskov said Putin's Cabinet shakeup will not affect "the military aspect," which has "always been the prerogative of the chief of general staff," currently Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.