Portrait of the economist nominated to be Russia's Defense Minister 0
(Dan Tri) – According to experts, the nomination of an economist as Russia’s Defense Minister shows that Moscow is paying special attention to military-industrial issues, ensuring the army has everything necessary.
Mr. Andrei Belousov was nominated to be Russia’s Defense Minister for the new term (Photo: TASS).
Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 12 nominated First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov to be Russia’s Defense Minister for the new term, replacing Sergei Shoigu.
This nomination will be one of the personnel nominations discussed and consulted by the Russian Senate in meetings taking place on May 13-14.
Explaining President Putin’s nomination, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: `The current battlefield is decided by those who are more open to innovations and ready to innovate as quickly as possible.`
He added that the nomination of Mr. Belousov will not change the `coordination system` between departments of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Mr. Andrei Belousov was born in 1959, in Russia.
From 1981 to 2006, Mr. Belousov pursued a career as a researcher at the Central Institute of Economic Mathematics of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and later at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 2006, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade.
In 2008, Mr. Belousov became the head of the finance and economic department of the Russian government.
From 2012 to 2013, Mr. Belousov held the position of Minister of Economic Development.
In 2020, Mr. Belousov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs and has held this position since then.
As deputy prime minister, he handled the development of main directions for Russia’s socio-economic development, coordinated efforts to realize Russia’s national development goals and completed projects.
From 2022, Mr. Belousov also oversees the development of high-tech transport technology and intelligent control systems.
Expert opinion
Retired Russian naval officer and military analyst Vasily Dandykin told Sputnik that if economist Andrei Belousov is appointed as the new Defense Minister, it would not be the first time a civilian figure has been appointed.
According to him, the first and most important reason that Mr. Belousov was nominated is that he belongs to a group trusted by President Putin.
`He is the First Deputy Prime Minister and he really knows very well the problems facing the Russian military-industrial complex,` expert Dandykin said.
Russian military expert and former military intelligence officer, Colonel Rustem Klupov, pointed out that Mr. Belousov is an economist of very high caliber who has advised prominent Russian politicians.
`If he is appointed Minister of Defense, it means there will be goals of an economic nature to be accomplished,` Mr. Klupov said.
According to him, the tasks of the new Defense Minister may be related to issues related to Russia’s defense and weapons procurement contracts.
`General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov will conduct military operations and the Defense Minister will solve his own problems,` Mr. Klupov commented.
Mark Galeotti, director of London-based consulting firm Mayak Intelligence, said the job of Russia’s Defense Minister at a time of military conflict is to ensure the army has everything it needs.
Military journalist and Soviet Army veteran Viktor Litovkin also emphasized Mr. Belousov’s impressive reputation as an academic and an economist.
`Up to now, there is no reason to doubt his abilities. He is an excellent figure who has extensive experience in the military-industrial field as well as the relationship between the military and the military.
