Putin’s national security team undergoes major restructuring in Russia

The Kremlin announced changes to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s national security team on Sunday, marking the first major shake-up since the start of the war in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu, who had been the defense minister since 2012, was appointed as the secretary of the Security Council. He had been leading Russia’s military during the invasion of Ukraine. Shoigu’s performance in the Ukraine war and an attempted rebellion by a private military contractor led to scrutiny of his role as defense minister. Nikolai Patrushev, the previous secretary of the Security Council, will be relieved from his duties to take on a new unspecified job. Andrei Belousov has been nominated to replace Shoigu as defense minister. This change in leadership comes as Putin begins his fifth term as president. Concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of Putin’s election with no viable opposition permitted to run against him. Putin has been Russia’s president for most of the time since 2000, with a brief period as prime minister from 2008 to 2012 due to term limits.