Connect with us

Foreign News

Vladimir Putin set to transfer Sergei Shoigu from Russian defence ministry

Published

on

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Sergei Shoigu (BBC)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to replace his long-standing ally Sergei Shoigu as defence minister, the Kremlin has announced.

The 68-year-old has been in the role since 2012 and is to be appointed the head of Russia’s Security Council.

Papers published by the upper chamber of the Russian parliament said  Shoigu will be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

Mr Shoigu has played a key role in Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Russian government papers show Mr Putin wants Mr Shoigu to take over from Nikolai Patrushev on the powerful security council.

Mr Shoigu has close links with President Putin, often taking him on fishing trips in his native Siberia. He was given the defence portfolio despite having no military background, which rankled with some of his top brass. A civil engineer by profession, Mr Shoigu rose to prominence as the head of the emergencies and disaster relief ministry in the 1990s.

He often looked out of his depth as defence minister, especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, BBC Europe analyst Danny Aeberhard says.

AFP Vladimir Putin (left), accompanied by Sergei Shoigu, guides a boat in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia, August 2017
Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu used to go fishing together in less troubled times (BBC)

In 2023, Mr Shoigu became embroiled in a public feud with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin over Russia’s conduct of the war. Prigozhin, who led a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, accused Mr Shoigu of being a “dirtbag” and “elderly clown” in audio messages that went viral.

The mercenary chief died in a plane crash while flying from St Petersburg to Moscow in August 2023. The Kremlin denied it was to blame.

Mr Shoigu’s suggested replacement, Mr Belousov, is an economist with little military experience and will come as a surprise to some. But in the view of other analysts, the move indicates that President Putin is seeking to align the Russian economy more closely with the war effort.

Kremlin press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed appointment of a civilian showed the role of defence minister called for “innovation”. He said Russia was becoming more like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when a high proportion of GDP went on military spending.

As a result, it was necessary to make sure that military expenditure was better integrated into Russia’s overall economy, he added. “The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” he said, according to Reuters.

Reuters Andrei Belousov
Andrei Belousov is a civilian economist and becomes Russia’s new defence minister (BBC)

BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg said the replacement of Mr Shoigu did not come as a surprise, since his position had become weaker and there had been talk for some time that he could lose his job. Russia’s campaign in Ukraine has been plagued by military setbacks and big losses in men and materiel.

Having an economist as defence minister reflects the changing priorities of the Kremlin, Steve Rosenberg says. The Russian economy is on a war footing now, so it is vital that the defence ministry has enough money to fund the war.

According to unnamed government officials quoted by independent Russian website The Bell, Mr Belousov is seen as a “hard-line defender of the state, who believes that Russia is encircled by enemies”.

Like President Putin, he is close to the Russian Orthodox church. He is said to be a keen martial arts enthusiast who practised karate and the Russian combat sport sambo in his youth.

Before becoming deputy prime minister, he worked for several years as an aide to Mr Putin. Before that, he was economic development minister.

He was reportedly the only member of the president’s economic entourage to support the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Mr Putin was sworn in as president for a fifth time on Tuesday after winning Russia’s recent election with 87% of the vote and without facing any credible opponents. He has led Russia since May 2000.

Among cabinet members to keep their positions is veteran Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

(BBC)



Foreign News

Monty the giant schnauzer wins Best in Show

Published

on

By

A giant schnauzer named Monty was crowned Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday, the most prestigious dog show in the US.

After reaching the final three years in a row, Monty beat more than 2,500 canines to become the first giant schnauzer to take home the show’s top prize.

“The puppy did the damn thing,” Monty’s owner Katie Bernardin said in the event televised from New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

The dog club is the oldest in the US dedicated to showing dogs, with its annual show – now in its 149th year – the second-longest sporting event held in the US after the Kentucky Derby.

The winners of each of the 200 competing breeds advance to compete for one of seven group titles, with each group winner then moving to the finals.

After two years of winning the Working Group, but failing to secure the overall prize, the five-year-old male with an all-black coat finally came out on top.

He gave the Working Group of breeds its first winner since 2004.

Judge Paula Nykiel, who is a dog breeder and owner-handler, chose Monty as Best in Show after he stood out in the preliminary events during the three-day competition.

When choosing a winner, judges also consider the breed’s ideal standard, and examine its body and mouth.

Among the more than 2,500 Monty beat from across the country, was nine-year-old Bourbon, who snapped up runner-up – or Reserve Best as they are known in the show.

The whippet came out of retirement for the event, and claimed Reserve Best for the third time.

Other finalists this year included Comet the shih tzu, Mercedes the German shepherd and Neal the bichon frise.

In 2024, a female miniature poodle won Best in Show.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Israel says Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not free hostages by Saturday

Published

on

By

The Israeli military said was sending reinforcements, including reservists, to southern Israel (BBC)

Israel’s prime minister has warned Hamas it will end the ceasefire in Gaza and resume intense fighting if the Palestinian group “does not return our hostages by Saturday noon”.

Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered Israeli forces to amass inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas’s announcement that it was postponing freeing more hostages until further notice.

Netanyahu did not specify whether he was demanding the release of all 76 remaining hostages, or just the three due to be freed this Saturday – but a minister said he meant “everyone”.

On Monday, Hamas accused Israel of violating the three-week-old ceasefire deal, including by blocking vital humanitarian aid – a claim Israel has denied.

The group’s decision to delay this weekend’s scheduled release prompted US President Donald Trump to propose that Israel cancel the agreement altogether and “let hell break out” unless “all of the hostages” were returned by Saturday.

(BBC)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Bomb blast kills at least five in Afghanistan

Published

on

By

A map showing Kunduz in northeast Afghanistan [Al Jazeera]

A bomb blast has killed at least five people and wounded seven in northeastern Afghanistan, local police report.

The blast took place at 8:35am (04:05 GMT) on Tuesday near a Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz province. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.

The bank’s security guard and four others, including civilians and members of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban group, were among those killed, police said.

“A suicide bomber, who had improvised explosive devices, detonated himself,” Jumadin Khaksar, spokesman for Kunduz province police, noted.  “The Kunduz province police command is working with relevant organisations to find the perpetrators of the incident and bring them to justice,” he added.

The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has markedly declined since the United States withdrew its forces and the government it backed was ousted by the Taliban in August 2021.

However, many armed groups – including ISIL (ISIS) – remain a threat.

Dozens of people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Kunduz in October 2021, with the ISIL affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claiming responsibility.

In March last year, a suicide bomber killed at least three people when he detonated a bomb outside a bank in the southern city of Kandahar, in an attack claimed by the regional chapter of the ISIL.

Despite the ongoing attacks, the Taliban authorities say they have mostly crushed the group.

[Aljazeera]

Continue Reading

Trending