- Author, Laura Gozzi
- Role, BBC News
For the first time in 12 years, Russia has a new defense minister.
On May 12, the Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin had nominated economist Andrei Belousov to replace longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Although rumors had long swirled that a reshuffle was being considered, few expected Mr. Putin to choose a civilian with no experience in either the military or security services to replace Mr. Shoigu.
Andrei Removich Belousov was born on March 17, 1959 in Moscow to Rem, an economist, and Larisa, a radiochemist.
He received a degree in economics from Moscow State University in 1981 and pursued an academic career for several years. In the late 1990s, he began working as an advisor to Russian prime ministers while working on a doctorate, which he received in 2006.
He was appointed Minister of Economic Development in 2012; the following year, he became an aide to Mr. Putin.
In 2020, he was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. He has since gained a reputation as a Putin loyalist, having apparently been the only member of the president’s “economic entourage” to support Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
He is also credited with developing key economic ideas pursued by the Kremlin in recent years and was seen as one of the key ideologues behind a set of ambitious plans adopted by Mr. Putin as he began his fourth presidential term in 2018.
He was also a leading backer of the VAT increase from 18% to 20% in 2019.
Mr. Belousov is known for being an uncompromising defender of state interests over corporate interests. He has long advocated strict regulation, increased public investment and an expanded state presence in the economy.
In 2018, a letter was leaked in which Mr Belousov suggested seizing excess profits from 14 large metallurgical and chemical companies.
The proposal has attracted widespread criticism. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs warned that this would lead to a wave of bankruptcies and, although the suggestion was never implemented, it caused a stock market collapse.
In 2021, Mr Belousov’s comments again led to a collapse in metals company shares after he said metalworkers had “extorted” around 100 billion rubles (£870 million) from the state.
As unpopular as these initiatives may have been, they corresponded to Mr. Belousov’s fundamental belief that the economy is driven by state involvement.
Russian economist and University of Chicago professor Konstantin Sonin told the BBC that Belousov was convinced that “innovation happens because the government invests in innovation, and economic growth occurs produced because the government forces companies to invest.”
These beliefs are consistent with Mr. Putin’s statist and isolationist worldview, Mr. Sonin added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposal to appoint a civilian showed that the defense minister’s role required “innovation.”
“He who is most open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” he said.
As defense minister, Mr Belousov will have to manage Russia’s military spending, which in 2024 represents around 30% of the Russian budget, or around 36.6 billion rubles (£324 billion).
Commenting on the appointment, Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda said Mr Belousov’s economic expertise and understanding of industrial sectors, including defence, meant he was well placed to manage the military’s significant budgetary demands. .
Mr Belousov’s appointment – which comes midway through the third year of Russia’s war in Ukraine – also appears to indicate that President Putin is preparing for a long and costly war.
Mr Belousov’s task will be to ensure that the Russian economy can continue to support its military machine despite Western sanctions.
The Kremlin also hopes that Mr. Belousov’s experience as an economist will help make military spending more efficient and reduce corruption.
Its well-established interest in high-tech weapons such as drones – of which Russia needs a near-constant supply to continue its attacks on Ukraine – will also help.
In 2023, Mr. Belousov announced plans to build 18,000 large and medium-sized drones in 2024 as well as the launch and development of a new industry: manufacturing of unmanned aviation systems.
Russian media noted that Mr Belousov – who is married with one child, Pavel, born in 1994 – is also among the usual figures among his peers in the Russian government, as he is not known to have benefited from corruption and it also has no particular importance. lavish lifestyle.
Like President Putin, Mr. Belousov is close to the Russian Orthodox Church. He is believed to have been baptized in 2007.
He is said to be a martial arts enthusiast – as is President Putin – and to have practiced karate and the Russian combat sport, sambo, in his youth.
Additional reporting by Vitaly Shevchenko
News Source : www.bbc.com
Gn world
