The decision to replace Sergei Shoigu as Defense Minister demonstrates the desperation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Vedant Patel.
According to him, replacing Shoigu with the civilian economist Andrey Belousov indicates Putin's desperation in attempting to continue the war against Ukraine.
Thus, the Kremlin leader aims to prepare his country for an economic war and seeks to better use the defense budget.
What preceded it
Yesterday, on May 12, Vladimir Putin proposed to appoint Andrey Belousov, who was previously the First Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Economic Policy Advisor, as the Minister of Defense of Russia.
Thus, Sergei Shoigu, who had been the head of the Russian Defense Ministry for 12 years, will lose his position. Instead, he will become Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained that this decision is related to the necessity for innovation and the implementation of new ideas.
Read more about Belousov in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
