On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed a sibling to pack one of the four vacancies created by the firing of four assistant defense ministers. In May, Putin unceremoniously removed his long-standing defense secretary Sergei Shoigu, marking the latest level in a dramatic shakeout. More than two years into the conflict in Ukraine, Putin has used the modifications to express his desire to rid the department of waste and corruption and use Russia’s war market more efficiently to satisfy the needs of the front line soldiers.
He appointed Anna Tsivileva, the girl of his later aunt, as a deputy defence minister whose duties may include improving cultural and housing assistance for military personnel. Her father Sergei Tsivilev is Russia’s power minister. Tsivileva was recently tapped by Putin to lead a express fund to assist Russians in their war effort.
Leonid Gornin, who was the first lieutenant finance minister, will succeed him as the first deputy defence minister under the leadership of defense secretary Andrei Belousov, an economist without any prior military service who was appointed to replace Shoigu next month. Gornin’s key tasks are” to assure successful saving of budget funds”. Oleg Savelyev and Pavel Fradkov, the son of former prime minister Mikhail Fradkov, were also given the names of assistant defense officials.
Another former assistant defense minister was detained on April 23 and charged with taking money. Four other top officials and members of the government have since been detained on the same costs in Russia’s biggest bone incident in decades.
