There isn’t any medal-clad warrior, however an economist and a technocrat who turns into the brand new protection minister in the course of an exhausting warfare. His predecessor, Sergej Shoigu, was ousted after a corruption scandal involving Deputy Minister Timur Ivanov.
Belousov has lengthy been thought of one among Putin’s closest and most influential advisers on issues associated to the home economic system.
The 65-year-old’s transfer to the Ministry of Protection means that the Kremlin’s understanding of find out how to beat Ukraine has modified. Now it’s apparently about spending more cash than Ukraine – and on the identical time being extra persistent than the West.
Dangerous information for the West
– For the West, the appointment of Belousov is unhealthy information. It alerts the transition to a warfare of attrition. The principle objective is to exhaust the enemy and trigger exhaustion and discord among the many enemy’s allies, impartial Russian analyst Konstantin Kalachsev instructed AFP.
It’s uncertain that Belousov may have a lot affect on army selections, in accordance with the information company.
As an alternative, he’ll take accountability for the staggering sums Moscow spends on every part from rockets, tanks, ammunition and salaries for the troopers within the Ukraine warfare.
– I wish to cope with extreme forms, Belousov stated when he was nominated as protection minister by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Should anticipate the enemy
The 65-year-old warns that an important objective for Russia is to win on the battlefield in Ukraine with the least attainable lack of Russian troopers.
– The enemy learns shortly. With the usage of new know-how, the state of affairs adjustments actually each single week. We aren’t right here simply to be taught, however to anticipate the enemy, says Belousov, in accordance with the Reuters information company.
He emphasizes the significance of the Russian troopers having one of the best and most fashionable tools, resembling drones, communication tools and sufficient ammunition. Nevertheless, in accordance with the brand new protection minister, there isn’t any want for a brand new mass mobilization.
A number of hundred thousand Russians fled the nation when Putin known as up 300,000 reservists for motion in Ukraine in 2022.
Trusted advisor for a few years
Belousov acquired an award when he graduated in 1981 from the School of Economics at Moscow State College.
Throughout Putin’s first two presidential phrases, he was an exterior adviser to a number of prime ministers. The 65-year-old was a part of Putin’s monetary workers through the 4 years Putin was prime minister from 2008 to 2012.
Belousov was an adviser to the president for eight years after being Minister of Economic system in 2012–2013. He stepped in as deputy prime minister when Mikhail Misjustin received corona in 2020. Andrej Belousov has been tasked with defending the Russian economic system from the results of the sanctions.
As First Deputy Prime Minister, he pushed for an aggressive enhance in public spending to spice up arms manufacturing and weaken the influence of Western sanctions. Army spending in Russia has grown to 7 p.c of gross home product this yr.
Proper man proper now
The Kremlin emphasizes that Belousov’s background makes him the fitting man to take over the Protection Ministry proper now.
– It’s the one who’s most open to innovation that wins on the battlefield. It is vitally necessary to align the economic system within the safety sector with the general economic system for the complete nation, says Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in accordance with a number of Russian state information companies.
One other signal that Belousov is unlikely to make army selections is that the Chief of the Basic Employees, Valeriy Gerasimov, will stay in his publish.
However the appointment of the brand new protection minister suggests a rising perception in Moscow {that a} victory over Ukraine could be determined removed from the entrance, AFP factors out.
– There may be an ironic logic on this. The strongest is the one who can mix the warfare and the economic system in essentially the most snug approach, says the Russian army blogger Alexander Sladkov.
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2024-05-16 22:53:43