Shoigu Dismissed

Andrei Belousov now MoD minister

With a new swearing-in, we have a new cabinet in Moscow. I realize, in some ways, Russia is a somewhat closed black box, so anything I say is my best guess. However, this is not surprising. Signals that he was on the way out have been there for months. The arrest of his assistant secretary of defense for corruption was a huge tell.

Another detail is that you may have seen in the American press headlines that he is getting replaced…