Russian President Vladimir Putin's move to name a new defense minister but largely preserve his cabinet is intended to improve military efficiency and production while maintaining Russia's overall economy and solidifying political loyalty. On May 12, Putin appointed former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov as defense minister. Belousov will replace Sergey Shoigu, who had been in the position for 12 years and was appointed the new Secretary of Russia's Security Council, replacing one of Putin's closest associates, former Federal Security Service Director Nikolai Patrushev. These announcements were part of Putin's cabinet reshuffle, which took place after his inauguration for a fifth term on May 7. Belousov's replacement as first deputy prime minister was Denis Manturov, the former minister of industry and trade who was heavily involved in military production. The rest of the appointments were less relevant, outside of the promotion of Putin's relatives and sons of his closest...
