Putin’s New Defense Chief Vows to Boost Army’s Efficiency
- Belousov rules out any plans for another mobilization
- Economist replaced Sergei Shoigu in Putin’s defense shuffle
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Andrey Belousov, Russia’s new defense minister, said he plans to improve military efficiency and reduce battlefield casualties to win the war in Ukraine that’s now in its third year with no end in sight.
“Every ruble in the state budget that, in the end, our citizens pay should have the greatest impact,” Belousov told lawmakers in Russia’s upper house of parliament on Tuesday as they confirmed his appointment. Russia must resort to “everything efficient and innovative” to secure victory, he said.