On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made significant changes to the Ministry of Defense, dismissing four deputy ministers and appointing one of his relatives to a vacant position. This reshuffle is believed to be the final stage of a restructuring process initiated by Putin back in May, when he unexpectedly removed his long-time defense minister, Sergei Shoigu.
Over two years into the war in Ukraine, Putin is demonstrating that he will not tolerate waste and corruption within the ministry and is working to better align Russia’s war economy with the needs of soldiers on the front lines. He appointed Anna Tsivileva, the daughter of his deceased cousin, as Deputy Minister of Defense. Her responsibilities will focus on improving social welfare for military personnel, including housing issues. Her husband, Sergei Tsivilew, is currently the Energy Minister in Russia.
Another change saw Leonid Gornin, who was previously the First Deputy Minister of Finance, appointed as the new First Deputy Minister of Defense under the leadership of the new Defense Minister, Andrei Belusov. Gornin’s main task is to increase financial transparency and ensure the efficient use of budgetary resources within the Ministry.
Additionally, Deputy Ministers of Defense Oleg Saweljew and Pavel Fradkov were also appointed. Fradkov will be responsible for managing real estate, land, and construction projects related to the military.
The series of changes in the ministry began following the arrest of then Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov in April on bribery charges. Since then, several other high-ranking officials in the ministry and
