"Another of Putin's puppets": UK Defence Secretary on Russian Defence Minister replacement

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has commented on the replacement of Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, seeing it as a way for Russia to continue its war against Ukraine.

He emphasised that Belousov would be another "puppet" of Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin. 

Shapps recalled that Shoigu bears responsibility for the death of over 355,000 of his soldiers and the massive suffering of civilians due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. 

"Russia needs a Defence Minister who would undo that disastrous legacy and end the invasion – but all they’ll get is another of Putin’s puppets," the UK Defence Secretary noted on Twitter (X).

Putin replaced Shoigu with Belousov as the Defence Minister on 12 May. At the same time, Shoigu will take over as the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council instead of Nikolai Patrushev.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is making replacements, including in the Russian Defence Ministry, to step up preparations for a protracted war in Ukraine and possibly preparing for a future confrontation with NATO.