Russian President Putin said on May 12 that he would appoint the civilian economist Andrei Belousov to replace the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 12 said he would appoint a civilian economist to lead the Russian Defence Ministry to replace Sergei Shoigu, who had led the defence ministry for more than a decade since 2012. Shoigu will reportedly be given the Secretary of the Russian Security Council.
Belousov is a civil economist still serving as Russia's first deputy prime minister.
Commenting on President Putin's planned appointment of economist Andrei Belousov as Russian Minister of Defence, Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed integrating the security sector economy, especially the Ministry of Defence, into the national economy.
Peskov stated that Belousov's appointment would not change the coordinate system of the agency's military component. He added that the military component has always been the prerogative of the Chief of the General Staff ( General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces), who will continue his activities, and no changes are expected in this regard. According to him, the new minister's duties may involve issues related to arms procurement and defence contracts.
Putin Replaces Defence Minister Shoigu with Belousov
