Shoigu Was Doomed

His resignation seemed to be a matter of time since Prigozhin’s campaign against Moscow.

Shoigu was doomed; his resignation seemed only a matter of time from the moment Prigozhin’s campaign against Moscow began. The recent corruption scandal that undermined the star power of the country's richest military official, Shoigu's deputy, Timur Ivanov, only outlined the inevitable fiasco of the minister who once shared a camping tent with Putin during a weekend in the distant Altai.

The former leader of the “Wagnerites” had no more evil enemy than Sergei Kuzhugetovich, the unfortunate rebel branded him with more than one offensive word. But he did not live to see his triumph, a stray grenade mysteriously exploded in someone’s unidentified hands on Prigozhin’s plane...

But those Russian generals are alive who feel “deep satisfaction” today, watching the decline of the general’s career as an “honored rescuer” and Hero of Russia. Moving him to the post of Secretary of the Security Council, frankly speaking, does not raise the prestige of this important state structure, especially since it is now losing a number of important powers. But it was necessary to find a post for the army general such that it would seem like an honorable move along the elite horizontal line, and not some kind of shameful displacement, as the late rebel demanded.

And here an elegant, almost chess-like exchange was found with the sacrifice of the bishop, whose place on the hardware “checker” was taken by a slightly tired, but still ready to prance, horse.

Nikolai Patrushev, already a former secretary of the Security Council, is also a general, only a security officer, who in the current Russian power hierarchy deservedly takes the place of the main “hawk”, until further notice, he is removed from the chessboard. And the fact that the necessary, harmless hardware “checker” for him has not yet been selected may mean that his services to the Kremlin, as the main exposer of the machinations of various enemies, have ceased to be arch-relevant. All enemies are already known, “the places from where they will attack” have been named, as Mr. Lukashenka likes to say.

And Nikolai Platonovich himself should not take offence at the president, because the general’s son received a promotion and was transferred from minister of agriculture to deputy prime minister. It wasn’t the worst family exchange...

As for the arrival of Andrei Belousov, a civilian economist, a convinced statesman, and most importantly, a loyal Putin ally, to the Ministry of Defense, everything that has already been said in this regard looks like an adequate assessment of the new-old course of Russia, as we know, declared a country-civilization. It must exist on its own, regardless of the external environment, which is usually hostile, and therefore be stronger than it has never been before. And no one has ever been. The military-industrial complex, which is strengthening to the level of Soviet times (why not more), as the main driver of the Russian economy, will be called upon to solve these problems.

It’s still early, but I think it’s time to launch new manuals for TV boxes, where it would be correct to explain how the Soviet nuclear shield was forged, how the world’s first satellites were launched, and then Gagarin was launched...

And finally, about Sergei Lavrov, whose fate worried me so much yesterday. My fears were not in vain; they did not let him leave Smolenskaya. I, who have been following Russian foreign policy since its inception, have some thoughts on this matter. But I’ll save them for the case when Lavrov is finally released for a well-deserved rest.

I’ll just note one thing: can you imagine that the president fires the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the same time? What will it look like, what will Princess Marya Sergevna say? I will answer: she will say that this looks like a recognition of the military-political failure of Moscow in the last years of Putin’s rule. But this is unacceptable. So, Sergei Viktorovich will still have a chance to give it a rest.

Arkady Dubnov, telegram