Conflicts today are won by those “open to innovations,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Andrei Belousov would be the best person to deal with the issues faced by the Russian military nowadays when it comes to their economic needs, the Kremlin spokesman told journalists on Sunday. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin named the former first deputy prime minister as his pick for the defense minister’s position.
An economist by education, Belousov has long worked with the Russian government in various capacities but had previously dealt with civilian matters only. He served as Russia’s Economic Development Minister between 2012 and 2013 and worked as the president’s economic aide between 2013 and 2020 before taking over the position of the first deputy prime minister, which he held until May 7.
When asked about the seemingly unconventional choice for the head of the defense ministry, Peskov replied that the “battlefield is now dominated by those who are more open to innovations and are [ready] to introduce them in the fastest way possible.” The Kremlin spokesman also said that, with the Russian military budget rapidly growing, “it is very important to integrate the economy of the [military] into the national economy.”
According to Peskov, the Russian military budget has grown from 3% to 6.7% of the national GDP since the start of the Ukraine conflict. It was not “critical” for the Russian economy but the situation still started to resemble the late Soviet era, when the USSR’s military expenditure amounted to 7.4% of its GDP, he added. Such a situation was still “extremely important” and demanded an adequate response from the authorities, the Kremlin spokesman added.
Belousov is not just a “civilian person,” Peskov maintained, adding that he had proven to be “quite successful at leading the Economic Development Ministry” and then worked as an economic aide to the president “for a long time.”
“The Defense Ministry should be absolutely open to innovations, to the introduction of the most advanced ideas and the creation of conditions favorable to economic competitiveness,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Earlier, the Russian Federation Council revealed that Putin had proposed replacing the current acting defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, with Belousov. The Senators are scheduled to consider the nominees put forth by the president on May 13 and 14. Shoigu was appointed Secretary of the Russian Security Council by a presidential decree on Sunday.
Commenting on the appointment, Peskov said that the former defense minister would act as the deputy head of the defense industry committee. Shoigu has a good knowledge of the field since he’s already been “deeply involved” in the work of the Russian defense industry and “is well aware of the production rates” required of each specific enterprise, he added.
