Putin’s Bold Move: A Civilian Takes Charge of Russia’s Defence Ministry Amid Escalating Budget and Ukraine Conflict

financialexpress.com:

In a pivotal cabinet reshuffle following his fifth term as Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin has appointed civilian-economist Andrei Belousov as the new Defence Minister, replacing Sergei Shoigu, who assumes the role of Secretary of the Security Council (NSA). This decision, amidst soaring defence expenditures due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, underscores Putin’s strategy to navigate economic challenges while bolstering national defence.

Sharing his views with Financial Express Online, senior war correspondent, Neeraj Rajput says: “The cost of the Ukraine war is taking a toll. The Defence Budget has reached 6.4 percent of the GDP (almost equivalent to the Soviet era). Last year (2023) it was US$109bn (around 16 percent of total govt expenditure).”

“Club this with corruption charges on Shoigu’s deputy and unable to win war after more than two years,” adds Rajput, who has covered the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Belousov was currently posted as the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. Along with being the Finance Minister of Russia (2012-13), he has also served as Putin’s economic advisor (2013-2020) for a long time. If Russia’s economy is on track despite the Ukraine war and all the sanctions from Western countries, then Belousov is considered to have a big role in it. This is the reason why Putin has given the responsibility of the Defence Ministry to him. 

According to information in the public domain, Putin’s media advisor Dmitry Peskov himself admitted this while announcing the new Defence Minister. Why? Because Russia’s ever-increasing defence budget is a matter of concern for Putin. According to Peskov, Russia’s defence budget is now 6.7 percent of GDP. This defence budget is now about to reach the level of the