Andrey Belousov

Andrey Removich Belousov has been Russia's Minister of Defense since May 2024. He was born in Moscow. He is the son of Rem Alexandrovich Belousov, a prominent Soviet economist, and Alissa Pavlovna, a radiochemist specializing in rare elements.

An economist and technocrat with no military experience, he worked as a researcher at CEMI (1981–1986) and headed a laboratory at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1991–2006). He served as Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister from January 2020 to May 2024. He replaced Shoigu as Minister of Defense.

Known as a staunch defender of state interests over business, he advocates for strict regulation and an expanded state presence in the economy. In 2018, he proposed introducing a tax on the 'excess profits' of large metallurgical and chemical corporations.

He is one of the few economists who publicly supported Putin during the war, calling the damage from sanctions 'insignificant'. His appointment reflects the central role of the war in the economy — Putin chose an economist to manage the enormous defense budget.

Economic mobilization of the army, optimization of expenditures for waging a protracted war, his son's villa on Lake Como.