Russian Defense Minister Shoigu Moved to Security Council, Economics Expert Belousov Appointed as Replacement

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government, replacing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister with no military background. The move comes amid Russia's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine, which has faced significant setbacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government, including a replacement for the defense minister, who has been moved to head the national security council.

The move comes as Russia's military campaign in Ukraine enters its third month, with Russian forces facing stiff Ukrainian resistance and suffering a number of setbacks.

On Tuesday, Putin signed a decree appointing Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister with an economics background, as the new defense minister. Belousov has no prior military experience.

Sergei Shoigu, who had served as defense minister since 2012, has been moved to the post of secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

The Security Council is a consultative body that advises the president on national security and foreign policy matters. It is chaired by the president and includes the prime minister, the defense minister, the foreign minister, and other senior officials.

Shoigu has been widely seen as a key figure in Putin's decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine. Russia had expected the operation to quickly overwhelm Ukraine's much smaller and less-equipped army and for Ukrainians to broadly welcome Russian troops.

Instead, the conflict galvanized Ukraine to mount an intense defense, dealing the Russian army humiliating blows, including the retreat from an attempt to take the capital, Kyiv, and a counteroffensive that drove Moscow's forces out of the Kharkiv region.

Shoigu also was shadowed by the arrest last month of deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov on charges of accepting huge bribes.

The decree by Putin largely retains the previous Cabinet, but names new energy, sports, transport, industry and agriculture ministers.

The new energy minister is Alexander Novak, who previously served as deputy prime minister for energy. The new sports minister is Oleg Matytsin, who previously served as president of the Russian Olympic Committee. The new transport minister is Vitaly Saveliev, who previously served as president of Russian Railways. The new industry minister is Denis Manturov, who previously served as minister of trade and industry. The new agriculture minister is Dmitry Patrushev, who previously served as deputy minister of agriculture.

The changes to the government come as Russia faces a number of challenges, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, Western sanctions, and a struggling economy. It remains to be seen whether the new government will be able to address these challenges and improve the situation in Russia.