Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in a cabinet shakeup that comes as the leader begins his fifth term in office.
On Sunday, Putin signed a decree appointing Shoigu as secretary of Russia's Security Council.
The appointment was announced shortly after Putin proposed Andrei Belousov to become the country’s defence minister in place of Shoigu.
In line with Russian law, the entire Russian cabinet resigned last Tuesday following Putin’s inauguration in the Kremlin, and most members have been widely expected to keep their jobs, while Shoigu's fate had appeared uncertain.
The announcement of Shoigu’s new role came as 13 people were reported dead and 20 more wounded in Russia’s border city of Belgorod, where a 10-story apartment building partially collapsed after what Russian officials said was Ukrainian shelling.
Ukraine hasn’t commented on the incident.
Belousov's candidacy will need to be approved by Russia's upper house in parliament, the Federation Council.
It has been reported that Putin introduced proposals for other cabinet positions as well, but Shoigu is the only minister on that list who is being replaced.
🔴🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir #Putin on Sunday replaced Sergei #Shoigu as defence minister in a Cabinet shakeup that comes as he begins his fifth term in office.
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) May 13, 2024
Putin proposed Andrei #Belousov to replace Shoigu.
A story by @AKerrigan47 👇 pic.twitter.com/ErKrH3l7kA
Kremlin politics
Shoigu's deputy, Timur Ivanov, was arrested last month on bribery charges and was ordered to remain in custody pending an official investigation.
The arrest of Ivanov was widely interpreted as an attack on Shoigu and a possible precursor of his dismissal, despite his close personal ties with Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that Putin had decided to give the defence minister role to a civilian because the ministry should be “open to innovation and cutting-edge ideas.”
He also said the increasing defence budget “must fit into the country’s wider economy,” and Belousov – who until recently served as the first deputy prime minister – is the right fit for the job.
Ukraine war
Shoigu has been widely seen as a key figure in Putin’s decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine.
Russia had expected the operation to quickly overwhelm Ukraine’s much smaller and less-equipped army and for Ukrainians to broadly welcome Russian troops.
Instead, the conflict has galvanized Ukraine to mount an intense defence, dealing the Russian army humiliating blows, including the retreat from an attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, and a counteroffensive that drove Moscow’s forces out of the Kharkiv region.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said Sunday that its forces captured four villages on the border in Kharkiv, in addition to five villages reported to have been seized on Saturday.
