Sergei Shoigu was a “remnant” of the Yeltsin era – Andrei Belusov is not widely known even among Russians.
It is rare to see any of his ministers Vladimir Putin to have the privilege of going on vacation with the powerful Russian president, and one of the “select” few to enjoy this honor was Sergei Shoigu.
Putin’s former “confidential” friend, and according to many “Survivors” of the Russian bureaucracy, was finally put out of the political game, “victim” of the – not so successful – Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin proceeded on Sunday night in a surprise post-election reshuffle of his government, removing from office the iconic, from point to point and then for the wrong reasons, defense minister, after more than two years of war in Ukraine, the outcome of which remains uncertain, despite the latest Russian successes.
After two years, and despite only formally directing the war, the 68-year-old Shoigu, Minister of Defense since 2012 who was not in the military, guy was promoted, after it was announced that he would take over as head of Russia’s National Security Council, a position previously held by Nikolai Patrushev, but it was essentially crippled. It is known that Shoigu was a “remnant” of the Yeltsin era. He began his rise to power in 1994, when he was appointed Minister of Emergencies in the early years of Boris Yeltsin’s presidency.
It is noted that the “boss” of the Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin was openly asking Putin to rein in Shoigu, who since the end of 2022 had been to “get close politically” in the corridors of the Kremlin. However, the “arrows” of Prigozhin (who was killed in a plane crash under unclear circumstances on August 23, 2023) against Shoigu, a man who continued to remain close to Putin, were interpreted as actually aimed at the Russian president himself.
For a while, however, in early 2023, when Moscow also lost Kherson, Shoigu disappeared from the scene, with rumors swirling about whether he was in custody. or is he alive. In the end, Shoigu reappeared, but with “clipped wings” compared to the political exile he had before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The Invisible Man”
He will be succeeded by the 65-year-old Andrei Belusov, economist without the slightest experience in military affairs. “Today, on the battlefield, the one who is most open to innovation prevails,” the Kremlin spokesman explained. Dmitry Peskov.
Andrei Belusov is considered as the “invisible man” of the Kremlin. Nobody has heard anything substantial about him or his work until today. Despite being first deputy prime minister, Belousov avoided public appearances and positions, and he is not widely known even among Russians.
It appears that his main job as Russian Defense Minister will be to logistically reorganize the Russian defense sector, e.g. by increasing weapons production,
as well as the prestige of the Russian army in terms of organization had been eaten significantly under Shoigu. “He will probably be a name without real decision-making power” they estimate in Kiev, however others believe that the “shadowy” 65-year-old will play a more important role precisely because of this qualification.
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
