Vladimir Putin Removes Sergei Shoigu From Russian Defence Ministry

Russian President Vladimir Putin has removed his long-standing ally Sergei Shoigu as defence minister, the Kremlin has announced.

The 68-year-old has been in the role since 2012 and is to be appointed secretary of Russia's Security Council.

Papers published by the upper chamber of the Russian parliament said Mr Shoigu will be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

The Kremlin said the defence ministry needed to stay "innovative".

Russian government papers show Mr Putin wants Mr Shoigu to take over from Nikolai Patrushev on the potent security council. It is not yet clear what Mr Patrushev's new post will be.

In 2023, Mr Shoigu became embroiled in a public feud with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin over Russia's conduct of the war.

Prigozhin, who led a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, accused Mr Shoigu of being a "dirtbag" and "elderly clown" in audio messages that went viral.

The mercenary chief died in a plane crash while flying from St Petersburg to Moscow in August 2023. The Kremlin denied it was to blame.

Mr Shoigu's suggested replacement, Mr Belousov, is an economist with little military experience and will come as a surprise to some.

But in the view of other analysts, the move indicates that President Putin is seeking to align the Russian economy more closely with the war effort.
  



BBC