Shoigu will transition to become secretary of Russia's national security council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev. Andrei Belousov, currently deputy prime minister with a background in economics but no military experience, has been proposed as the new defense minister.
Rather than firing Shoigu, Putin has offered his longtime ally a soft landing, says Eurasia Group analyst Alex Brideau. Brideau says the move is “a reflection that Putin thought he needed a change at defense.” But rather than an outright snub, it’s also an example, he says, of how rarely Putin outright fires those who have demonstrated long-term loyalty.
According to Kremlin press spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the appointment of Belousov emphasizes the need for “innovation” in the role. Philip Ingram, a former British military intelligence colonel and NATO planner, believes that the shuffle allows Putin “to keep Shoigu on side,” while bringing in a civilian better able to deal withthe impact of corruption in the Defence Ministry. Others have described the shift as a sign that Putin wants to put the war in Ukraine on an “economically sustainable footing” – something an economist like Belousov might be better positioned to do.The US and China are racing to develop increasingly powerful AI, but what does it actually mean to win? Former White House AI advisor Ben Buchanan joins Ian Bremmer to discuss the geopolitical stakes of superintelligence, the growing risks of AI development, and how democracies can compete without sacrificing their values.
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At the 2026 Paris Peace Forum, former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili reflects on why Western democracies failed to respond more forcefully to Vladimir Putin’s efforts to expand Russian influence over neighboring countries and challenge European security, despite years of warning signs.
As voters spend more time scrolling through social media on their phones, politicians are following them. Long reliant on horizontal TV ads, candidates are increasingly embracing short, vertical videos to grab voters' attention and get their message out.