Putin to remove Sergei Shoigu as Russia’s defence minister

12 May 2024 , 20:41

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Putin to remove Sergei Shoigu as Russia’s defence minister

Vladimir Putin has raised eyebrows after suddenly firing his longtime friend, Sergei Shoigu, as defence minister.

Shoigu, 68, was Russia’s longest serving minister, serving in government long before Putin became president, and a close ally to Putin.

It’s thought Shoigu will be replaced with little-known Andrey Belousov, an economist with no known military or security experience.

The move has been seen as a major snub to the man Putin put in charge of his war against Ukraine.

But Shoigu hasn’t been completely cast out into the cold as he’s set to be put in charge of the Russian security council, replacing ex-FSB chief and anti-Western conspiracy theorist Nikolai Patrushev.

Patrushev, 72, is seen as a key architect of a war that has seen 450,000 Russians killed or injured, and he’s set to be given a new job in the coming days – though the details haven’t been confirmed yet.

Russia’s new defence secretary was acting premier for three weeks when PM Mikhail Mishustin was struck down with coronavirus in 2020.

It’s hoped Belousov, a close ally of Putin’s, will root out corruption and reform the stagnant defence ministry – but it’s not known how this will be achieved due to his lack of experience as a military strategist.

Putin has appointed people to a number of new positions in what’s thought to have been his largest cabinet shake-up in years.

Patrushev’s son Dmitry, 46, becomes deputy premier combined with his previous role as agriculture minister, and Boris Kovalchuk will become chairman of the Accounts Chamber.

But Sergey Naryshkin, 69, remains director of the SVR Foreign Intelligence Service, with Alexander Bortnikov, 72, still head of the FSB – the two key security roles in his regime. 

Swirling rumours that General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin would be brought back as chief of staff were denied, with Putin’s spokesperson confirming that General Valery Gerasimov, 68, would remain at the helm.

And the Kremlin sought to stress that Shoigu remained pivotal to the war, and will continue to fulfil some military functions. 

Elizabeth Baker