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Putin Removing Défense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Jonathan Stephen Harry Riley
2 min readJul 5, 2024

Vladimir Putin, the Russian Federation’s leader, strategically removed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, in May 2024, with that defence minister responsible for at least one-third of the Russian military defence budget on procurement being stolen allegedly.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s failure in the opening months of the Ukraine War, which began on 24 February 2022, and corruption meant that Russian mechanised units didn’t have the fuel and other resources necessary to conquer the independent nation-state of Ukraine in 2022.

I hate to say it, but Putin might be making a solid strategic move by removing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu from office.

Personal connections often hold immense sway in the intricate world of Russian politics.

Sergei Shoigu

This was evident in the case of Putin’s long-time associate, Shoigu, who was appointed Defense Minister in 2012 until he was removed from office in 2024.

However, his tenure was marked by widespread criticism, particularly for his lack of military experience and alleged mismanagement of defence budgets, highlighting the complex dynamics in Russian politics.

The removal of Shoigu from office seems to be part of a larger shift in Russia’s approach, signalling a potential move towards a more conventional…

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Jonathan Stephen Harry Riley
Jonathan Stephen Harry Riley

Written by Jonathan Stephen Harry Riley

I have been writing from 2014 to the present day; my writing is focused on history, politics, culture, geopolitics and other related topics.

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