Published: 10:21, May 13, 2024
Putin proposes Belousov for Russian defense chief to replace Shoigu
By Xinhua
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state-owned Sputnik agency, Russian Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev (left) and then First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov (center) talk before the inauguration ceremony of Russian President in the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2024. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP)

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed former first deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov as the new Defense Minister, succeeding Sergei Shoigu, who moves to the role of Russian Security Council Secretary.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Shoigu will also become Deputy President in the commission on the military-industrial complex

The 65-year-old Belousov has held various positions including assistant to the President on economic issues, Minister of Economic Development, Director of the Department of Economics and Finance at the Government Office, and General Director of the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting.

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In a separate decree, Putin appointed Shoigu, the defense minister since 2012, as the Secretary of the Security Council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev. The Kremlin said that it will soon announce the new appointment for Patrushev.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Shoigu will also become Deputy President in the commission on the military-industrial complex.