Hiring an economist to guide the Division of Protection in wartime looks like a recipe for catastrophe.
Andrei Belousov – who will likely be Russia’s new protection minister after President Vladimir Putin “advised” on Sunday that he’ll rubber-stamp parliament – has no navy expertise.
The tall, white 65-year-old man didn’t serve within the Soviet military, because of his research at Moscow State College within the late Seventies.
On the time, his father, Ram Belousov, was a part of a staff of economists who wished to reform the Soviet financial system.
The youthful Belousov appears to have inherited his father’s perception within the central position of the state within the financial system.
Belousov has been Minister of Financial Growth in Russia (2012-2013), Advisor to Putin (2013-2020), and Senior Deputy Prime Minister (since 2020), turning into one of many founders of “Putinomics”.
Over the previous two years, he has helped soften the influence of Western sanctions on Moscow following a full-scale struggle between Russia and Ukraine.
After exhibiting surprising resilience to sanctions, Russia’s financial system is shifting into wartime mode, spinning up arms factories, pouring billions of {dollars} into new weapons and paying attendants and their households.
“Putin wants an ‘arsenal of autocracy’ that may overwhelm Ukrainian and Western manufacturing and innovation,” stated retired US Military Chief of Workers Gordon Skip Davis Jr., referring to the Arsenal of Democracy, “Washington’s navy support to the Allies throughout World Struggle II. .
The Russian-Ukrainian Struggle
What energy controls every area of Ukraine? (Al Jazeera)
Davis informed Al Jazeera that Belousov should enhance the amount and pace of producing weapons, missiles, drones, fight autos, artillery, air protection and digital warfare programs for offensive operations in Ukraine in addition to Russia and inner air protection. Ukrainian territories.
Davis stated that whereas Belousov just isn’t tasked with offering strategic route to the Russian navy, “he should very a lot convey innovation and high quality into protection manufacturing and restrict corruption as a lot as attainable.” “
So, Belousov’s state of affairs seems like very unhealthy information for Ukraine.
“It was an surprising transfer, however sadly for Ukraine it was very efficient,” Kyiv analyst Alexey Kush informed Al Jazeera.
Not like many high-ranking Russian officers, Belousov has not been concerned in corruption scandals and has a popularity as a workaholic technocrat and a religious Orthodox Christian.
Kush stated that Putin wished to wash up the “Ogiasian cattle pen” of the Ministry of Protection in order that navy spending may result in a revival of the Russian financial system.
“As an alternative of being a ‘black gap’ for price range spending, the effectivity of the Russian military-industrial complicated will likely be elevated, and the Ministry of Protection may turn out to be a driver of financial development as struggle spending stimulates development in full -Russia’s home product,” he stated. stated.
Different observers agree.
Nikolay Mitrokhin of the College of Bremen in Germany informed Al Jazeera that Belousov’s appointment “will considerably enhance the effectivity of the Ministry of Protection and cut back corruption.” “
“In consequence, extra money will move – to not the overseas accounts of high-ranking generals and the development of their magnificent palaces, however to the event of latest weapons, the creation and tools of latest navy models and their coaching,” he stated. . stated.
“All it will drastically enhance their navy energy and effectiveness – one thing that’s completely not mandatory for Ukraine within the fierce battle with the Russian military,” stated Nikolay Mitrokhin.
The Division of Protection has been tormented by corruption.
When one of many directors, Yevgenia Vasilyeva, was arrested in 2012, the police discovered 19 kilograms of gold and 51,000 jewels in glass jars in her luxurious condominium in Moscow.
Its head, Protection Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, was dismissed and changed by Sergey Shoigu. Shoigu is a well-liked emergency minister with no navy expertise, like Belousov.
Shoigu grew to become the longest-serving minister in Putin’s authorities and was even touted as Putin’s potential successor, regardless of being from Tuva, a Buddhist area on the border with Mongolia.
However his popularity light after Russia’s blitzkrieg to seize Kiev failed within the spring of 2022 and Ukraine regained a number of key areas inside months.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of Wagner’s personal military, mercilessly and bluntly lambasted Shoigu for delays within the provide of weapons, incompetence and corruption.
Not even Prigozin’s loss of life in a aircraft crash final July, Wagner’s launch and a collection of Russian victories on the battlefield in jap Ukraine earlier this yr may save Shoigu.
The arrest of his deputy Timur Ivanov in April on bribery prices was broadly seen as an indication that Shoigu was falling out of favor with Putin.
On Tuesday, the Protection Ministry’s chief human assets official, Yuri Kuznetsov, was detained on unspecified prices – a attainable signal of a wider purge of Shoigu’s staff.
One Ukrainian navy skilled seen Belousov’s appointment as a mirrored image of inner strife in Moscow and stated his division’s work can be removed from profitable whereas the brand new chief reshuffled and constructed his staff.
“Presently, with the brand new place, he will be unable to handle issues successfully whereas fixing issues,” stated Lieutenant Normal Ihor Romanenko, former deputy chief of workers common of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to Al Jazeera.
“That is excellent news for some time,” he stated.
Romanenko stated Putin used his so-called “return” to energy after the fifth election in March to “purge harmful allies and exclude them”.
He stated the Kremlin might even recall Sergey Sulovkin, a senior common who led an invasion of Ukraine however was deposed for his position within the Could 2023 Prigozin coup.
“Lengthy Struggle in Ukraine”
Shoigu’s affect has grown since Prigozhin’s loss of life as his ministry manages an enormous price range, leaving loads of room for unprecedented corruption.
Pavel Luzin, a navy analyst on the Jamestown Basis, a Washington-based assume tank, informed Al Jazeera that “Belousov’s job is to strictly scrutinize spending and the complete navy group, as a result of there have been unusual figures nearly all year long. .” Go to the highest.”
Shoigu will now be the secretary of the Safety Council of the Russian Federation and can exchange Nikolay Patrushev, a former colleague of Putin within the KGB throughout the Soviet period and one of the highly effective safety chiefs in Russia.
The Institute for the Examine of Struggle, a Western navy assume tank, concluded that Belousov’s appointment indicated the Kremlin’s willingness to proceed preventing in Ukraine and a attainable confrontation with NATO over former Soviet bases on Jap Europe.
“Putin is taking main steps to mobilize Russia’s financial and protection industrial base to help a protracted struggle in Ukraine and presumably put together for a future battle with NATO,” the Institute for Struggle Research stated.
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2024-05-15 02:16:49
