President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia made significant changes to his national security team following his invasion of Ukraine by replacing his minister of defense on Sunday. Sergei K. Shoigu was kept in the inner circle and appointed to run the country’s security council, while economist Andrei R. Belousov was nominated to become the new defense chief. It remains unclear how much authority over the war effort Mr. Shoigu will retain. Nikolai P. Patrushev, who has headed the Russian security council for 16 years, will be moved to another position in the coming days.
The appointment of an economist to oversee Russia’s military garnered surprise from Russian commentators, highlighting the significant rise in the defense budget in recent years. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, explained that the decision was made to ensure the security bloc’s economy fits into the country’s economy and aligns with current dynamics. This shake-up is rare for Mr. Putin, known for valuing loyalty, especially to Mr. Shoigu despite military failures early in the war and a mutiny by the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin last summer.
The possible shift in Mr. Shoigu’s stature had been hinted at when one of his top deputies was arrested on corruption charges last month. The replacement of Mr. Shoigu with Mr. Belousov, one of Mr. Putin’s trusted economic advisers, underscores the Kremlin’s success in maintaining the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions. The changes were made less than a week after Mr. Putin began his fifth term as Russia’s president, which included a complete dispersal of his entire cabinet as part of the government transition. While many ministers were renominated, not all of them were retained in their positions.
General Valery V. Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian general staff and the highest-ranking military officer, will remain in his post, according to the Kremlin’s announcement. The reshuffling of the national security team reflects Mr. Putin’s effort to address and adapt to the challenges posed by the ongoing conflict with Ukraine and the pressure of Western sanctions. The appointments of Mr. Shoigu and Mr. Belousov, along with the removal of Mr. Patrushev from his long-held position, signal a significant shift in leadership dynamics within the Russian government and its military establishment. It remains to be seen how these changes will impact Russia’s military strategy and the ongoing conflict in the region.
