Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, signaling a strategic shift in Russia's approach to the war in Ukraine. Shoigu's removal is seen as a response to his failures during the invasion. Belousov is expected to better align Russian defense spending with the demands of a prolonged, attritional war. This reshuffle is part of Putin's broader plan to transform Russia into a permanently mobilized, war-fighting state. Notably, around 75% of Russians support the invasion, according to the Levada Center, and the pro-war narrative is pervasive among the Russian elite. Analysts suggest that no one in Moscow is currently seeking an exit strategy from the war. Political economist Ruben Enikolopov has provided insights into what to expect from Russia's new Defense Minister.
Sergei Shoigu was a ruthless Russian politician who was also hapless. Putin’s decision to replace him shows he is determined to win, writes @irgarner: 👇https://t.co/H9nitqzSUy
Putin has put Russia on a permanent war footing My general take on what's happening now, for @thetimes : in many ways, backs to militarised and (ultimately) moribund 70s USSR, with nationalism, Orthodoxy and autocracy as a threadbare alternative ideology https://t.co/8LF5MnoMxU
"But what really made Putin’s vision clear came last week: a government reshuffle that showed how he plans to reshape Russia, turning it into a permanently mobilised, war-fighting state..." @MarkGaleotti in @thetimes (£). https://t.co/uIpQG49EyV
Putin's decision to replace Sergei Shoigu with Andrey Belousov could be his delayed reaction to Shoigu's failures during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, analysts say. https://t.co/Ynv4xk9AeS
Putin prepares Russia for indefinite war: How Vladimir's new choice of defence chief proves he is willing to go all the way in Ukraine - as potential conflict with NATO looms https://t.co/3qAozOpeoY https://t.co/6T7NHL6Y7q
A government reshuffle has shown how Putin plans to reshape Russia, turning it into a permanently mobilised, war-fighting state — with profound consequences for the rest of the world ⬇️ https://t.co/VA70P3yIwN
🎧 On this week's episode of #RussiaOnTheRecord, political economist Ruben Enikolopov explains what to expect from Russia's new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. Listen here: https://t.co/9SsD8dewJM https://t.co/MOXfJq2c89
Putin’s pro-war and anti-Western narrative is now pervasive across all segments of the Russian elite, writes @Stanovaya. Russians appear ready to fight forever in Ukraine—and nobody in Moscow seems to be looking for an exit strategy from the war. https://t.co/BFdsTRw0nV
Not just Putin’s war: around 75% of Russians support the invasion of Ukraine, according to Russia’s only independent pollster, the Levada Center. This figure has remained virtually unchanged for more than two years https://t.co/bteZ9ggoQP
As we pointed out in Wed's edition of The Malmgren Politics Take, Shoigu was kicked upstairs and replaced by Andrei Belousov, who is better equipped to align Russian defence spending with a long attritional war. https://t.co/l0GvcTSxFX