Knocked money out of business and has a medal from the Moscow Region: who is Andrei Belousov, who will replace Shoigu

Belousov is associated with defense industry quite a bit, only a medal for assistance to the air force/Collage 24 Channel

Vladimir Putin, having assumed the office of president, held personnel changes. He proposed that the post of Minister of Defense instead of the military Sergei Shoigu be taken by the civilian Andrei Belousov, the final decision will be on May 13-14. Channel 24 has collected what is known about Belousov.

Shoigu received a new position – he will become secretary of the Russian Security Council, replacing Putin's longtime associate, in fact his right hand Nikolai Patrushev. This interesting appointment caused a number of discussions, because Patrushev had headed the Security Council since 2008, and before that he headed the FSB.

Who is Andrei Belousov

Belousov has no military experience, the only thing that connects him with this industry is the medal “100 Years of Air Force forces”, received in 2012 (by the way, it is no longer awarded). But it was not possible to find in open sources why the award was given. The medal is departmental, it is given either for good service in the air force, or for promoting their development.

Belousov is an economist by profession, like his father, and worked in various institutes under the Russian Academy of Sciences. The official is a Doctor of Economic Sciences and president of the board of directors of the Russian Railway. For several years he was on the board of directors of Rosneft.

Career took off when Belousov became a freelance adviser to the prime minister -minister. In the 2000s, he was Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, then Director of the Government Department of Economics and Finance, and in 2012 – Minister of Economic Development.

Belousov reached another, higher level in 2013, when he took the position of assistant to the president. Since then, all papers relating to the economy reached Putin through him. Since 2020, he has been the first deputy prime minister.

It’s funny, but last year he said that Russia can become the guardian of the traditional values ​​of the West. In 2014, Belousov was the only one from Putin’s “economic” circle to support the annexation of Crimea. The Bell's interlocutors say: Belousov sincerely believes that Russia is surrounded by enemies. And Putin listens to him.

Why they want to appoint him as Minister of Defense: Peskov’s explanation

Putting an economist in charge of the army, and even during a war, is a decision that is at least surprising. Dmitry Peskov, as befits Putin’s mouthpiece, explained the decision to appoint Belousov. Like, we need to innovate and be open to innovative ideas. But the appointment of a civilian to a military position will not change the coordinate system in the military component of the department, Peskov assured.

Journalists' versions of the true reasons for Belousov's appointment

Of course, this is only a half-truth and the real reasons lie deeper. But the official “court” media will not tell about them.

The Crimean Wind Telegram channel drew attention to interesting facts about Belousov. He was one of the first to be sanctioned after the start of a full-scale invasion. The European Union explained: Belousov has been in Putin’s inner circle for many years.

Indirect evidence of this can be seen in his public speeches. He allowed himself to comment on issues that the president usually comments on. For example, in 2023, he talked about the role of Russia and its relations with the West and spoke about the “emergence of a new elite in Russia” in the occupied territories, the message says.

And also there connected Belousov’s appointment with the corruption scandal in the Ministry of Defense. At the end of April, Shoigu’s deputy, Timur Ivanov, was detained. He was accused of corruption. It was Ivanov who was responsible for the “restoration of Mariupol” – after Russia itself destroyed this proud Azov city. The chair under Shoigu began to shake and has now fallen.

The BBC Russian service provided even more details. Media workers noticed that Belousov was the technical prime minister, that is, he replaced the current head of government when he was sick with coronavirus in 2020. And his departure from civilian positions may be connected more with the economy than with the army.

Right now the Russian economy is very state-owned, because everything works for the defense industry. And it is in the defense sector that money should be invested. Russia needs to sell oil, despite the sanctions.

In his economic views, Belousov is known as a tough statist, that is, a supporter of the idea that the state should actively participate in the economy: strictly regulate various areas, invest where he sees fit, confiscate “extra profits” from those who, as he memorably put it, “have screwed up the state,” the material says.

In Belousov's opinion, metallurgical companies have “crowded” the Russian budget. With these words, he called on them in 2021 to return the allegedly unpaid funds. We heard similar ideas from him in 2018, that is, he knocked out money regularly. What angered big business. But who and what Belousov will force as Minister of Defense is not yet known.