Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that Shoigu be removed from the post of defense minister and appointed as secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, responsible for the military-industrial complex. Judging from his official position, Shoigu seems to have been promoted this time, but judging from the real power he holds, Putin has promoted Shoigu openly and secretly to Shoigu this time.
[Shoigu was secretly descended by the light and the sky]
You must know that changing the battle will be a taboo on the battlefield, and Shoigu is Putin's closest confidant, before Putin celebrated his birthday every year, almost Shoigu was by his side, and at this time he was dragged down from the post of defense minister, it is difficult not to remind people of the recent corruption of Shoigu's henchmen.
Previously, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov was arrested on suspicion of accepting a huge amount of embezzlement of 1 million rubles (about 70,000 yuan), and if the charges are convicted, he faces 15 years in prison. But interestingly, the latest information indicates that the amount of Ivanov's bribes has skyrocketed from the initial 1 million rubles to 1 billion rubles, which is equivalent to about 78.4 million yuan. Add to that his other hidden assets, and the amount is even greater. This also means that the punishment they face will also be more severe.
In fact, Ivanov's corruption has long been an open "secret" in Russia, and there have been bold investigations against Ivanov before, but almost all of them have been in vain, and this is all "attributed" to Shoigu's protection of him. Shoigu had a fairly close relationship with Ivanov. Once when Shoigu was the governor of Moscow, Ivanov was the deputy governor; When Shoigu was promoted to the post of defense minister, he also brought Ivanov to the post of deputy defense minister, and handed over to Ivanov the management of such oily affairs as procurement, infrastructure construction, and medical security in the army.
This time Ivanov was pulled off the horse directly, apparently by a person with a bigger position than Shoigu, who was pushed behind the scenes. Russian officials revealed that the dismissal of the Russian deputy defense minister was not only to serve as a wake-up call to corrupt officials in the military, but also to "reduce Shoigu's power." Now that Shoigu has been dismissed, there is no doubt that this speculation is confirmed.
In fact, Shoigu's position has been precarious for a long time, especially after the conflict in Ukraine. In 2022, Putin launched a special military operation against Ukraine, at first everyone thought that it would be a "blitzkrieg", which would soon be over, but the reality is that Russia is mired in the war in Ukraine, the front-line troops do not receive sufficient logistical support, and the sneak attack on the Kyiv military airport also failed. Shoigu, who failed in command and did not dare to report heavy casualties to Putin's front army, his reputation collapsed day by day, and many senior Russian officials believed that Shoigu was responsible for the heavy setback suffered by the Russian army.
With the extension of the conflict front, the Wagner Group, which had charged on the Russian front, has become more and more dissatisfied with Shoigu, and its former leader Prigozhin has repeatedly scolded Shoigu, but Putin has not defended Shoigu once. When Wagner staged an armed mutiny in 2023, the spearhead was directed at Shoigu rather than Putin, who Prigozhin said misled Putin about the threat to Kyiv and was responsible for the conflict, and also shouted the slogan of arresting Shoigu.
[Russia's new defense minister is an economic expert]
Coupled with the revelation of this extremely serious corruption incident of a confidant, Shoigu's ouster is a reasonable thing. However, Putin obviously still cared about the friendship with this old friend, and did not be ruthless to him, but gave him the post of security secretary of the Russian Federation, which can be regarded as benevolent and righteous.
So who will take over after Shoigu steps down? Putin's choice of someone surprised everyone: an economist who had never had any experience in the military and had never been on the battlefield, and who was also Russia's first deputy prime minister, Belousov. Choosing such a person who has never fought a war to be the leader of the Russian army, Putin's choice seems absurd, but in fact he has a reason:
First, Putin's move is to step up anti-corruption efforts. The problem of corruption in Russia is very serious, especially in the military, which is like a "hard-hit area". For example, in 2012, Serdyukov, then Russian Defense Minister, was dismissed on suspicion of embezzling 3 billion rubles of state-owned assets; In 2019, 11 high-ranking Russian officials serving in powerful Russian federal or local institutions were arrested. This kind of thing can be said to be endless.
[The Russian army is launching an offensive against Kharkiv]
Therefore, Putin attaches great importance to the anti-corruption work in the military, and has bluntly said that corruption among military officials is tantamount to betrayal of the country. However, in Russia's military field, which has long enjoyed the protection of the "confidential" label, the concentration of power and the lack of effective oversight, and the intricate chain of interests, the fight against corruption is by no means an easy matter, so it needs to be handled by professional people. Belovesov, who has decades of experience in economics and is well versed in the country's economic situation and trends, will undoubtedly serve as a powerful deterrent to military officials by entrusting him with the task of investigating corruption.
Second, to prepare for the next step of the Russian army on the battlefield in Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the conflict, Russia's military budget has increased from 3% of GDP to 6.7%, which is very similar to the situation in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s.
It should be added that, despite the dismissal of Shoigu, in fact the Chief of Staff Girasimov, who was responsible for directing operations, remained at his post. In this case, Belousov's appointment means that Putin is providing more economic aid to the Russian army, intending to finally crush Ukraine under the dual advantages of the Russian-military-industrial complex and the economy.
All in all, Shoigu's position adjustment is not only a reintegration of power within Russia, but also the beginning of a new phase of the conflict.