New Russian defense minister signals further economic mobilization - expert

He said it on Espreso TV.

Varchenko stated: "Sergei Shoigu got replaced by the new Minister of Defense, Andrey Belousov, who previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. This personnel change suggests a shift towards further mobilizing the Russian economy for military purposes. It reflects a departure from Shoigu's focus primarily on military matters, possibly due to his lack of understanding regarding economic organization and his family's involvement in corrupt practices related to the military budget. With Belousov, there's an attempt to mobilize the economy."

According to Ivan Varchenko, it's doubtful that Russia will succeed in this endeavor, given that sanctions against it continue to have an impact.

"Efforts to rejuvenate the stifled Russian business sector, compelling it to support the war effort and pouring additional billions into the military-industrial complex to prop up Putin's regime, will undoubtedly face challenges," concluded the national security expert.

• On May 12, Sergei Shoigu stepped down as Russia's Defense Minister.
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on May 13 that Vladimir Putin replaced Shoigu with Andrey Belousov, signaling preparation for prolonged conflict in Ukraine and future NATO confrontation by moving Shoigu to the Security Council secretary position instead of Nikolay Patrushev.