On May 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made his first comments on the arrest of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin.
After taking office for a fifth term, on May 12, President Vladimir Putin approved Andrey Belousov as Minister of Defense in the new cabinet. Mr. Belousov is an economist, having served as First Deputy Prime Minister and previously as Minister of Economic Development.
According to experts, with this appointment, Mr. Belousov's duties may be related to issues of arms procurement and defense contracts in Russia. Meanwhile, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov will direct military operations.
For his part, at a plenary session of the Russian Federation Council on May 21, Mr. Belousov said that equipping frontline units, developing new technologies for warfare, and ensuring timely payments and housing support for servicemen are all equally important priorities for him as the new defense minister.
“Of course, the main task remains to achieve victory and ensure the achievement of the military-political goals of the special military operation set by President Putin. In this regard, I would like to emphasize: with minimal human losses,” Mr. Belousov said.