Portrait of the new Russian Defense Minister just appointed by President Putin

Veteran economist

According to Sputnik, Mr. Andrey Belousov was born on March 17, 1959 in Moscow. He graduated with honors in economics from Moscow State University in 1981.

From 1981 to 2006, Mr. Belousov's career was devoted to research. He worked at the Central Institute of Mathematical Economics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and then at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In 2006, Mr. Belousov was appointed Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Russia. In 2021-2013, Mr. Belousov held the position of minister.

From 2013 to 2020, he served as an assistant to the President of Russia on economic issues. In 2020, Belousov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and has held this position since then.

As Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Mr. Belousov is responsible for managing the development of priority directions for Russia's socio-economic development, coordinating efforts to implement Russia's national development goals and complete national projects, issues of financial, credit, monetary policy and regulation of financial markets.

Since 2022, Mr. Belousov has also overseen the development of high-tech transport technologies and intelligent control systems.

Why was Mr. Belousov chosen?

Asked why President Putin appointed economic official Andrey Belousov as defense minister, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed the need to integrate the overall economy of the security sector, especially that of the Defense Ministry, into the national economy.

“It is very important to adjust the security sector’s economy to the changes of the current times. Now the Defense Ministry’s budget has returned to almost the level of the 1980s, which is not so dangerous, but it is necessary to adjust,” Peskov explained to journalists.

Dismissing concerns about Mr Belousov's lack of military experience, Mr Peskov said that having a civilian head the defence ministry would open up opportunities for innovation and advanced ideas to be proposed.

Spokesman Peskov added that Mr Belousov's appointment would not change the structure of the defence ministry's operations.

"As for the military composition, this appointment decision will not change the current system; the military composition has always been the prerogative of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, who will continue his duties and there will be no changes in this regard," Peskov said.

According to Vasily Dandykin, a military analyst and former Russian naval officer, this is not the first time a civilian has been appointed to the post of defense minister. “First of all, Mr. Belousov is the president’s man. He is the first deputy prime minister and he knows very well the problems facing the Russian military-industrial complex. As always, our supreme commander-in-chief, the president of Russia, supervises all decisions,” Mr. Dandykin said.

Meanwhile, Russian military expert Colonel Rustem Klupov pointed out that Mr. Belousov is a successful economist and has advised many prominent Russian politicians. “If he is appointed defense minister, it means that we will achieve economic goals,” Mr. Klupov said.

According to his judgment, the new minister's duties may be related to issues of arms procurement and defense contracts. "General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, will conduct military operations, and the defense minister will deal with his own issues," Klupov added.

Military journalist and Soviet military veteran Viktor Litovkin stressed that Mr. Belousov's reputation as a scholar and an economist was impressive, especially in the military-industrial sphere.

“His expertise is unquestionable. He is an outstanding person in the government team, focusing on the military-industrial complex and the connection between the military and industry,” Viktor said.