In less than a month, two senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense have been arrested for embezzlement.
A few days ago, investigators searched the home of Kuznetsov, director of the General Directorate of Personnel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and found a large number of watches and luxury goods, as well as a lot of foreign currency and gold coins, and even more than 100 million rubles in cash alone.
The other is Russian Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov, who was arrested last month and accused of embezzlement and bribery amounting to more than 1 billion rubles.
It is worth mentioning that Kuznetsov's work experience under investigation is not at this stage, but during his tenure as the 8th Director of the General Staff of the Russian Army's Secret Service from 2010 to 2023, he is suspected of accepting commercial bribes.
Moreover, as soon as everyone looks at this position, senior officials of the Russian military's secret department will naturally wonder if this corruption will involve leaks? While Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has also attacked targets in Russia, and some of the attack points are even thousands of kilometers away from the Russian-Ukrainian front line. However, the relevant Russian agencies are still investigating what Kuznetsov has committed, and it is impossible to make a conclusion at present.
[Kuznetsov, head of the General Directorate of Personnel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, was arrested on suspicion of corruption and bribery]
However, the arrest of Russian Defense Ministry officials one after another for corruption and other reasons may mean one thing, Putin will carry out a major purge of the Ministry of Defense. Previously, there were many rumors of corruption in the Russian Ministry of Defense and the top level of the military, and one of the reasons why "Wagner" had set off a mutiny was that it was dissatisfied with the corruption of the Russian Ministry of Defense too serious.
Now that the Russian government is changing, it is just the right time to rectify. Moreover, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has also been transferred to other posts, and when the Russian Ministry of Defense carries out a major purge, it does not need to take too much care of Shoigu and can act freely. Therefore, after Belousov takes up the post of Russian defense minister, it is likely that he will list "anti-corruption" as a key priority.
It is worth mentioning that Belousov has no military experience, although he has served in the Russian government for many years, he is mostly engaged in economic-related work, and can be regarded as a pure economist. And Putin's intention of sending a civilian official to the Ministry of Defense is not simple.
Whether it is a major purge of the Ministry of Defense or the appointment of Belousov as the new defense minister, Putin is playing a big game of chess, which is related to the future direction of Russia and Ukraine, and more importantly, the confrontation between Russia and the United States and the West.
The fight against corruption, as I have already mentioned, can the Russian Ministry of Defense perform its functions more efficiently only if it takes on a new look, otherwise it will be all a chronic disease, and it will be difficult for anyone to do it.
While purging the Ministry of Defense, the most important thing is to reform, which is the main thing and the main task of Belousov.
[Putin was sworn in as President of Russia]
Although Russia has gained the upper hand in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has not been easy. Although sanctions against Russia have not limited the pace of Russia's economic development, Russia is still facing tremendous economic pressure. In particular, the scope of US and Western sanctions against Russia has been expanding, especially the secondary sanctions have had a certain impact on Russia's foreign trade, making many small countries dare not do business with Russia.
However, fighting a war is a very money-burning thing, and if you want to be strong in military strength, you must have sufficient economic capital. What the Russian army lacks most on the front line is actually the supply of weapons, and when the supply of weapons is sufficient to a certain extent, the Russian army will be able to play more tactics when it acts. Especially now that the Russian army has opened a new front in Kharkov and is ready to break up the Ukrainian army, the demand for weapons is even higher.
And in this conflict, Russia has been able to hold out on its own under the encirclement of the United States and the West, and Belousov has contributed a lot. During his tenure as the first deputy prime minister of Russia, Belousov also had rich experience and made outstanding contributions to promoting the production of the military-industrial complex.
Therefore, Belousov's appointment as Russia's defense minister is to formulate a more rational and efficient development route for the wartime economy with military production as the core. This will make up for the shortcomings of the poor supply to the front line during the Shoigu period, so that the Russian army will have a more durable and powerful combat effectiveness, so that Russia can achieve the final victory in this Russian-Ukrainian conflict and not fall behind in the confrontation with the United States and the West.
[Belousov will be Russia's defense minister]
In addition, the reconstruction of the four regions in eastern Ukraine is also one of Russia's key projects, and only when this matter is done well can Russia's special military operation be truly successful. And if the Russian Ministry of Defense is still rife with corruption and knows nothing about the economy, it will obviously not be able to handle this matter. For example, the previously arrested Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov was in charge of the reconstruction of Mariupol, and we cannot rule out whether he used the reconstruction project to his own benefit. Therefore, Belousov is very suitable for the role of the one who preserves military achievements.
In general, judging from the current situation, Russia and Ukraine will definitely continue to fight, and it will still be a protracted war. If Russia wants to maintain its superiority in this conflict, in addition to the strength of the army, the war supply cannot be delayed.
In this game of chess played by Putin, the purging of the Ministry of Defense is to dig out the original "carrion", and the appointment of Belousov as defense minister is to inject new "vitality" into the Russian Ministry of Defense, and while achieving the purpose of further ensuring the supply of military supplies, it can also promote the transformation of the Russian economy, and then ensure that Russia has a long-term advantage in this conflict.