The Supreme Commander-in-Chief introduced the new Minister of Defense to the military leaders, told them what Sergei Shoigu would do as Secretary of the Security Council, and discussed the situation in the area with the commanders of the groups of troops. The President explained the appointment of Andrei Belousov to the post of Minister of Defense by the need to integrate the economy of the power unit into the overall economy of the country. Vladimir Putin noted that effective work on the line of contact increases the chances of a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief introduced the new Minister of Defense to the military leaders, told them what Sergei Shoigu would do as Secretary of the Security Council, and discussed the situation in the area with the commanders of the groups of troops. The President explained the appointment of Andrei Belousov to the post of Minister of Defense by the need to integrate the economy of the power unit into the overall economy of the country. Vladimir Putin noted that effective work on the line of contact increases the chances of a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
Introduction of the Minister of Defense to the commanders
The Kremlin hosted a meeting of the President of the Russian Federation with the commanders of military districts, which was attended by Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu and new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
— Andrei Belousov has been appointed the new Minister of Defense, this is due, not least, to the fact that spending on the military component is growing, — Vladimir Putin said during the meeting.
According to the president, the new head of the military department will have to integrate the economy of the power unit into the overall economy of the country.
In the mid-1980s, the total expenditures of the USSR on defense and security amounted to about 13%, and in 2024 such expenditures of Russia will amount to about 8.7%. And this resource needs to be managed carefully and efficiently, the head of state noted.
Earlier, Andrei Belousov headed the Ministry of Economic Development, worked as assistants to the head of state in the presidential administration, in recent years was the first deputy chairman of the government, headed the economic block. In addition, recently, on behalf of the president, he has been engaged in the development of dual-use technologies, in particular unmanned aircraft and other systems.
Working together
More attention should now be paid to the issues of rearmament and equipping, and this is what all personnel changes in Russian ministries and departments are connected with. Alexey Zhuravlev, First Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, told Izvestia about this.
"Russia has a unique chance to spend money on the development of new technologies and new industries, which, by the way, can be not only military, but also dual—use — used for civilian needs," he said. To do this, the Russian army must become more open to innovation, and the team that will now deal with the military-industrial complex must work exclusively in the interests of the country, without stretching funds like swan, crayfish and pike — this is primarily what the president calls for.
Andrei Belousov came to this post due to the increased economic importance of the armed forces and the defense industry, political scientist Alexander Konkov told Izvestia.
— So that all the advantages that the Russian economy has gained come to the economy of the armed forces, and vice versa, so that all the difficulties that exist in the armed forces are solved as quickly and quickly as it happens in the modern Russian economy as a whole. Regarding the immediate prospects, I think the word "audit" sounds very correct from time to time, this is what Belousov will do at the initial stage in the Ministry of Defense, in order to make decisions about some qualitative transformations later," he explained.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vyacheslav Prokofiev
Shoigu's new responsibilities
Belousov replaced Sergei Shoigu, who left the post of head of the Ministry of Defense when the Cabinet was updated, becoming secretary of the Russian Security Council. He has held the position of Minister of Defense since 2012. During his leadership, Shoigu significantly reorganized the Russian army: divisions that had previously been reformatted into brigades were returned to its structure.
At the meeting, Vladimir Putin thanked Sergei Shoigu for his work on building the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and giving them a new look. At the same time, he stressed that much more needs to be done.
"Many things were not clear to us before the start of hostilities, nor to all those who somehow deal with the construction of their armed forces," the president clarified.
The Head of State expects that the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation will ensure the fulfillment of obligations on the supply of military equipment as the curator of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
— I think that Sergey Kuzhugetovich, like no one else, understands the need to ensure our obligations to our partners in the field of supplying weapons and military equipment to the foreign market, given that first of all we must meet the needs of our Armed Forces, — he summed up.
In addition, as Secretary of the Security Council, Shoigu will lead the military-industrial complex commission, which operates under the President.
"Our troops are constantly improving their position in all directions"
At the meeting, Vladimir Putin discussed the situation on the line of contact with the commanders of the military districts.
— The work is proceeding according to the plan approved and prepared by the command of the group, the General Staff. All the tasks are being fulfilled," he stressed. — Not only according to the results of last year, all enemy counterattacks were repelled, but since this year our troops in all directions are constantly improving their position every day.
According to the head of state, the effectiveness of Russian troops on the line of contact increases the chances of resolving the situation peacefully.
— We see what the neo-Nazi regime is doing in the border zone. They have been doing this for all the years since 2014, when we tried to resolve this conflict by peaceful means. Unfortunately, nothing worked out, and we had to start protecting people in these territories with the help of the armed forces. But the more effectively you work on the line of contact, the more chances we have to resolve this issue peacefully. We have always strived for this, and I have always talked about it," the president concluded.
In addition to Sergei Shoigu and Andrei Belousov, the meeting was attended by Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and the commanders of the groups of troops in the area of the SVO: Mikhail Teplinsky, Commander of the Airborne Troops, Alexander Lapin, Commander of the Leningrad Military District, Sergei Kuzovlev, Commander of the Moscow Military District, Gennady Anashkin, acting Commander of the Southern Military District Alexander Sanchik, Commander of the troops of the Eastern Military District, Andrei Mordvichev, Commander of the troops of the Central Military District.
