Colonel Khodarenok: Belousov as head of the Ministry of Defense will not lead the troops
On May 12, Vladimir Putin announced the change of Defense minister, appointing Sergei Shoigu, who has held this post since 2012, as the new secretary of the Security Council. In his place, the president nominated Andrei Belousov, who has no ties to the army. What are the personnel changes related to, why Putin proposes an economist for the post of head of the Ministry of Defense and what tasks Belousov faces - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
The candidate for the post of Minister of Defense of Russia, Andrei Belousov, spoke at the Federation Council and described the range of tasks that he will face after being appointed to the post. In particular, he drew attention to the problem of excessive bureaucracy associated with the confirmation of benefits for the military, and called it an "absolute disorder" to send participants of the military operation in Ukraine who returned on vacation to "hospitals that are often overcrowded."
"We have a lot to work on here. This also applies to the provision of housing for the participants of the military community, it concerns payments to civilian personnel in military units, it concerns, especially, medical care," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed appointing Belousov Minister of Defense on May 12. Sergei Shoigu, who has headed the military department since 2012, has already been appointed by the head of state as secretary of the Russian Security Council instead of Nikolai Patrushev - he was relieved of his post in connection with the transition to a new, as yet unnamed, job.
"Today, the winner on the battlefield is the one who is more open to innovation. Therefore, it is natural that at the current stage the president has decided that the Russian Ministry of Defense should be headed by a civilian," said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, commenting on the president's decision.
In addition to leading the Security Council, Shoigu will also represent Putin in the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation and will oversee the work of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia (FSVTS).
"He is deeply immersed in this work, he knows very well the pace of production of military-industrial products at specific enterprises and often visits these enterprises," Peskov explained.
The biggest personnel shake-up since 2020
Prior to his nomination to the post of head of the Ministry of Defense, Belousov held the position of First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in the previous Cabinet of Ministers, overseeing the economic development of Russia.
Peskov explained the appointment of a civilian official by the Minister of Defense as "the need to introduce innovations" into the work of the department. According to him, Belousov will be engaged in the integration of the defense and civilian components of the Russian economy.
Bloomberg calls the change of the Minister of Defense the "largest personnel shake-up" in Russia since 2020 - then, after the resignation of the government, Dmitry Medvedev, who headed it, moved to the post of deputy chairman of the Security Council, and former head of the Federal Tax Service Mikhail Mishustin became prime minister (he retained his post in the new cabinet).
According to the agency, the change in the leadership of the Ministry of Defense may indicate Putin's intention to "mobilize the Russian military economy for a long and intensifying conflict" in Ukraine and his dissatisfaction with the course of hostilities. Business Insider also draws attention to criticism of Shoigu due to the allegedly "sluggish actions" of the Russian Armed Forces during the military operation.
In addition, according to Bloomberg, the need for a new face in the Russian military has also become urgent after the corruption scandal involving former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, a key assistant to Shoigu. Belousov, according to the agency, Putin "trusts and considers him honest and uncorrupted." At the same time, the agency calls Shoigu's removal from his post at the Ministry of Defense and appointment to the Security Council a "mild demotion."
"Strengthening the role of the military-industrial complex"
Bloomberg also emphasizes that most of Shoigu's predecessors under Putin also did not have a military education, but Belousov's appointment is the first time that the Russian president chooses a professional economist for the post of defense minister.
Such a decision may mean that more than two years after the start of its military operation, the main task of the Russian Federation was the growth of the military economy. Thus, experts interviewed by Bloomberg believe that the personnel changes "are aimed at strengthening the role of the military-industrial complex as the main engine of the economy."
According to Peskov, Shoigu's departure "will in no way change the current coordinate system" of the Russian military strategy. The press secretary of the head of state stressed that Belousov's appointment to the post of Minister of Defense is connected with "the transformation of the economy of the power bloc into a part of the country's economy."
"We are gradually approaching the situation in the mid-1980s, when the share of spending on the power unit in the economy was 7.4%. This is not critical, but it is extremely important," the Kremlin spokesman explained in an interview with CNN.
What will Belousov be responsible for?
The press secretary of the head of state also assured that the personnel changes would not affect the "military aspects", which "have always been the prerogative of the Chief of the General Staff," and Army General Valery Gerasimov, who currently heads this main body of operational command of the troops, will continue to fulfill his duties.
There is reason to believe that Belousov will mainly be responsible for the logistical and administrative support of the army and navy, increasing combat readiness and combat capability of the Armed Forces, research and development work.
In other words, he will not interfere, for example, in the issues of determining the combat and numerical strength of groups of troops in strategic areas and the sole leadership of combat operations. And this, I think, will entail significant reformations in the field of operational and administrative management of the Russian Armed Forces.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military-Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
