Was a complete failure in office: the American general explained what Shoigu’s dismissal means

In Russia, Vladimir Putin decided to replace the head of the war during the acute phase of the war Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu to economist Andrei Belousov. On the eve of Shoigu's dismissal, his deputy was arrested for taking a bribe.

Retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said 24 Channelthat Putin values ​​personal loyalty in his subordinates. He has a close friendship with Shoigu, so the head of the Kremlin was prompted to take this step by very serious miscalculations of the ex-Minister of Defense in his position.

They didn’t really fire

The reason for the dismissal of Sergei Shoigu, according to a retired US lieutenant general, is his incompetence and corruption.

In Russia, corruption will be tolerated as long as you have competence . And Shoigu was a complete failure as defense minister, and corruption was exposed. However, I don’t think that he was really, truly fired,” he noted.

Shoigu was transferred to another, but very important position – Secretary of the Russian Security Council.< /p>

Because Putin has a long-standing personal relationship with Shoigu, he has, according to Hodges, personally benefited from much of Shoigu's corruption.

< p class="bloquote cke-markup">At the same time, the new Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov, who has an economic background, is a signal that Russia is trying to continue the transition of the economy to a military footing, he is sure.

Putin also appointed Nikolai Patrushev, who served as Secretary of the Security Council, as a personal assistant. However, Hodges believes that it is too early to predict what the consequences of this appointment will be.

As long as Putin continues the war

Earlier, a retired US lieutenant general noted that there is no need to be afraid of the possible collapse of Russian power. He considers it likely that the Russian regime may collapse.

Today in Russia there are many people who are extremely dissatisfied with the losses that Russia is suffering in the war. There are also oligarchs who still earn a lot of money. That is why it is so important for the West to continue to impose sanctions and adhere to their implementation.

“Ukraine's success on the battlefield , pushing the Russians back to the 1991 borders will create a different dynamic in Russia However, for now Putin thinks that he can still win, that Ukraine will not be able to hold out, and the West will get tired. , he will continue the war,” noted Ben Hodges.

There have been significant changes in power in Russia

• After the fifth inauguration as president, Vladimir Putin decided to rotate the government, his administration and other power structures.
• The most high-profile was the resignation from the post of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Although the chair under him began to shake earlier, when his deputy Artem Ivanov, who is accused of taking a bribe, was arrested. After Shoigu’s resignation, another high-ranking official of the Ministry of Defense was detained – the head of personnel management, Yuri Kuznetsov. He is also suspected of corruption.
• Instead of Shoigu, the economist Andrei Belousov, who is considered much more competent than Shoigu, became the head of the Ministry of Defense. However, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the OPU, believes that Belousov is being given too many advances. According to Podolyak, he is “a banal assistant to Putin, nothing more.”
• Putin also fired Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council, from his post and appointed him as his assistant. At the same time, Shoigu became the new Secretary of the Security Council.