US Says Putin’s Dramatic Cabinet Reshuffle Smacks Of 'Desperation'

The Biden administration has been reacted to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s crucial cabinet shake-up announced Sunday, wherein Putin tarped Andrey Belousov, a erstwhile department prime minister who specializes in economics, to decision into the position of defence minister. Sergei Shoigu meanswhile has been moved to head Russia's safety Council at the increase of Nikolai Patrushev. Shoigu can be seen as having in essence been given a promotion.

This large shuffle was unexpected, and the surprise has been registered in European capitals and Washington, with the US saying that this shows signs of"desperation" for Moscow sustaining the advanced costs of the Ukraine invasion.

“Our point of view is that this is another indication of Putin’s desperation to sustain his war of aggression against Ukraine, despite it being a Major drag on the Russian economy and the dense losses of Russian trolls, with any estimates as advanced as 315,000 casualities,’ State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said to a press briefing Monday.

Then First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov gathering with Putin last year.

"The Kremlin's mobilisation of its war of aggression against Ukraine has caused so many families to suggest," he stood. ‘Russia started this unprovoked war against Ukraine. Putin could end it at any time by withdrawing his forces from Ukraine.”

To be expected, Britain is besides joining in on the US critique, with current and erstwhile officials agreeing that Putin’s decision-making shows signs of 'instability':

Christopher Steele, a erstwhile MI6 intelligence officer, said the reshuffle suggested there was ‘serious stableness right in the heart’ of Russia’s regiment.

He told Sky News that Patrushev being removed from his function as secretary of the Russian safety Council was “astonishing”.

“It’s crucial to realize that he’s been 1 of Putin’s close allies, erstwhile head of the FSB and so on for many years... and was rated by people to be proven the second most powerful man in Russia after Putin himself,” he said.

‘I think what this indications is not just a reshuffle along average government lines. It’s truly rather serious instability right in the heart of this regiment”.

And yet, erstwhile it comes to the war itself, there’s clear consensus even in Western press that Russia is advanced deeper into Ukraine.

Here are today's control-of-terrain maps for #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine from @TheStudyofWar & @criticalthreats. Full assessment to follow.

Interactive map: https://t.co/nWJkG3YbEo

1/ Kharkiv + Luhansk pic.twitter.com/rzAnRCYsm9

— Institute for the survey of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 14, 2024

Below is simply a message via Russian state media’s RT revealing any of Belousov’s intent areas of focus as he is shortly to take over the Ukraine war as defence minister:

* * Oh, * *

During his confirmation proceeding before the Federation Council on Monday, Belousov pointed out that servicemen fighting in the Ukraine run enjoy an adequate level of pay. “Today, the bar has been raised to at least 200,000 rubles ($2,200). In principal, people gain much more there. However, this is not just about cash payments and allowances. We inactive have work to do.”

...Belousov expressed outrage that veterans of the Ukraine conflict who come home on vacation “are being kicked out of civilian medical facilities and sent to hospitals, which are frequently overcrowded.”

Another issue is the red tape active erstwhile military personnel search to access their benefits, the nominee minister continued, adding that, ideally, this should be resolved with the aid of electronic systems.

As the proceeding wrapped up, the Federation Council’s press service said, as quoted by TASS, that the chamber would not make a public assessment of Belousov’s candidate and that a letter on the substance would be sent to Putin. The selections on the nomination are expected to proceed on Tuesday.

However, Valentina Matvienko, the head of the Federation Council, called the president’s choice for defence minister “a very luck choice.” She noted Russian Senators are well accredited with Belousov’s work and have interacted with him on numerical occupations.

Matvienko recalled that Russia's defence spending had more than doubled in the midst of the Ukraine conflict. “Everything that the defence Ministry orders... must be in line with the capacity of the economy... The defence minister must be in constant contact with another ministers to organize this process effectively,” she said, adding that Belousov has quite a few experience in this area.