Putin proposes replacing defense minister amid Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a new defense minister, nominating civilian Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specialises in economics, for the job more than two years into the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

Putin wants Sergei Shoigu, defense minister since 2012 and a long-standing Putin ally, to become the secretary of Russia’s Security Council replacing incumbent Nikolai Patrushev, and for him to also have responsibilities for the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin said.

Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s General Staff, will remain in his post as will Sergei Lavrov, the country’s veteran foreign minister, the Kremlin said.