Russia’s designated Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov wants to win the war of aggression against Ukraine with as few losses as possible among his own armed forces. This is the “key task,” he said at a parliamentary hearing in Moscow on Tuesday.
At the same time, the economic expert announced that there would be no new mobilization to recruit more soldiers. The Russian presidential office nominated Beloussov on Sunday to succeed former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. President Vladimir Putin’s confidant becomes secretary of the National Security Council. Beloussov, 65, was a former Minister of Economic Affairs and most recently First Deputy Prime Minister.
Beloussov must stimulate the arms industry
In view of increased military spending, Putin would like to have economic expertise at the top of the defense department, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the nomination. Operational military decisions must be made by the Army General Staff.
Beloussov emphasized during the parliamentary hearing that the inevitable goal was to equip Russian soldiers with modern equipment, including drones and communications systems. This also includes the supply of sufficient ammunition. Defense Ministry spending would be subject to stricter controls to achieve greater efficiency. Putin has now created a war economy in Russia.
Unusual sounds from the Kremlin
Beloussov’s statement about keeping casualties on battlefields in Ukraine as low as possible was seen as unusual by observers. Russian officials generally do not talk about war victims, except when it comes to glorifying fallen soldiers as heroes. Military experts point out that Russian leaders have so far been more willing to accept a high death toll in the course of the war than the Ukrainian side. Russia rejects this impression as Western propaganda.
Beloussov presented himself during the hearing as an honest politician. He was always guided by the principle: ‘You can make mistakes, but you cannot lie.’ This could be interpreted as a swipe at Shoigu, under whose leadership a recent corruption scandal took place in the Ministry of Defense.
Beloussov must still be officially approved by the Senate. He, like the designated Ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Justice, was personally recommended by the head of the Kremlin. Parliament’s approval is therefore only seen as a formality in authoritarian Russia.
Source: Krone
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