Reference figure | Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: a powerful figure in the political arena for 30 years

On April 17, the website of the Russian weekly newspaper "Arguments and Facts" published an article titled "How the Builder Shoigu Became the Leader of a Powerful And Powerful Department", which said that Shoigu had held important positions since the 1990s, until the Chechen War and was appointed defense minister, Shoigu was highly recognized for his superhuman ability, and the Russian leaders were very satisfied with his work. The full text is excerpted below:

April 17 is an important day for Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu — 30 years ago, he took over the predecessor of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, transforming it from a volunteer movement into a powerful paramilitary civilian institution with ministerial status. As one of Russia's most successful and powerful sector leaders, Shoigu took the first step in his long career. His resume in the high management set a record for modern Russia.

Russian heroes

On 17 April 1991, the Council of Ministers of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ordered the approval of Sergei Shoigu, Vice-Chairman of the State Council for Building and Construction, as head of the Russian Rescue Mission established in December 1990. In July, the rescue mission was renamed the National Emergency Committee and Shoigu was appointed chairman.

The Commission's first major rescue operation was the Ufa refinery incident in September 1991, when the 700-tonne pipeline remnants were in danger of collapsing. The effect of the collapse is equivalent to a magnitude 9 earthquake. Rescuers used directional blasting to eliminate the danger in the shortest possible time, and the operation was also included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In the same year, Shoigu recruited the Civil Defense Force, which had been subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense and had nearly 20,000 personnel and equipment, to his command. In November 1991, his department was renamed the State Civil Defense, Emergency and Disaster Relief Commission, directly under the President of Russia.

Shoigu was involved in resolving several armed conflicts that broke out in the Caucasus in the early 1990s. On January 31, 1994, before the outbreak of war in Chechnya, Shoigu became a member of the Russian Security Council. In February, he was awarded the Personal Medal of Courage for his merits.

In the same year, the Emergency Committee was reorganized into a ministry. On 20 November, Shoigu was inaugurated as Minister of Civil Defense, Emergency and Disaster Relief of Russia. Following the reorganization, Shoigu applied to the Government for the establishment of a general position in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Shoigu himself received the rank of major general in 1994 and was promoted to lieutenant general a year later.

On September 20, 1999, Shoigu was awarded the title of "Hero of Russia" for "courage and heroism in the performance of military duties in extreme circumstances".

In 2002, the Ministry of Emergency Situations was expanded again to include the National Fire Service. In this way, the main national rescue agencies have been unified.

After the end of the Five-Day War in early August 2008, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations actively participated in the reconstruction of the infrastructure of South Ossetia to help the victims of this humanitarian disaster. The Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Russian Electricity Sector began to restore communications and electricity supply.

Large-scale military reform

On November 6, 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed him defense minister. At the same time as being appointed Minister of Defence, Shoigu returned to the army with the rank of Grand General.

In his new post, Shoigu carried out a series of major reforms to the armed forces. The establishment of the Russian Defense Command Center merged 158 federal and local authorities, 1,320 state-owned enterprises and military-industrial complex enterprises into a unified interdepartmental cooperation system. 23 trillion rubles were used to rearm the army, which, according to military sources, brought the Rate of Modernization of the Russian Army to the highest 70% in the world. In contrast, at the beginning of the 21st century, this figure was less than 15%.

Under Shoigu's leadership, the army carried out a series of fruitful military operations. The Syrian military operation was the first time in post-Soviet history that Russian forces participated in combat operations outside the former Soviet republics. The Russian army gained experience in carrying out expeditionary operations with limited long-range supply, support and infrastructure capabilities in distant theaters. More than 600 advanced weapons and military equipment were tested during the Syrian military operation.

The Russian operations in Crimea are considered one of the most effective in the history of soviet and Russian armies, giving Russian soldiers bloodless access to Crimea.

Satisfy the president

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is the Russian government's highest-rated minister of work since 2013, according to the polls.

Alexei Arbatov, director of the International Security Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that Shoigu, who was a longtime minister of emergency situations, is now minister of defence because his work is very satisfactory to the country's leaders.

Albertov noted: "It is worth mentioning that Shoigu has been defense minister for longer than all his predecessors. It is also telling that no one else has been able to attain the rank of Grand General so quickly. Today's Russia is a country of only 30 years, during which Mr. Shoigu has held important positions. This means that his work is highly praised by the President of Russia. ”

Source: Reference News Network