Key Takeaways
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has removed Sergei Shoigu as defence minister and replaced him with economist Andrei Belousov.
- Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s longest-serving minister, led the country’s military during the invasion of Ukraine.
- The move is Putin’s most significant reshuffle to the military command since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow: In a surprise move, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday replaced Sergei Shoigu, who has been defence minister for years, with Andrei Belousov, an economist, the Kremlin said.
In a surprise move, Putin has removed Sergei Shoigu as defence minister, marking his most significant reshuffle to the military command since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin said Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specialises in economics, has replaced Shoigu.
After being sworn in for his fifth term as the Russian head of state last week, Putin proposed that Shoigu take the position as head of Russia’s powerful security council, which has been led by Nikolai Patrushev, a former spy and close Putin aide.
Shoigu, Russia’s longest-serving minister, took charge of the defence ministry in 2012 and has been leading Russia’s military through its full-scale invasion of Ukraine for the over past two years.
