Russia’s newly-appointed defence minister was close to late Wagner PMC chief Yevgeny Prigozhin
Pravda Ukraine
Dossier, a Russian outlet, has discovered that the new Russian Minister of Defence, Andrei Belousov, monitored the activities of the former head of Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin, and “studied the prospects for the development” of the organisation.
Source: Dossier
Details: The publication’s sources say Belousov and Prigozhin “sometimes sat in each other’s embrace,” and their business sessions were like “family gatherings.”
Belousov’s interest in PMCs is further supported by documents revealed by Dossier in Belousov’s email. One of the documents recommended that PMCs be established “under the full control of the state.”
It is also known that Belousov, who worked as the president’s economic adviser from 2013 to 2020, handled a variety of army-related issues.
According to the Dossier’s source, Russian President Vladimir Putin views the position of Minister of Defence as purely administrative, with the minister being responsible for providing the army, controlling the budget and property. Belousov’s selection was not anticipated, the source says.
Background: On 14 May, Putin issued a decree appointing Andrei Belousov as Minister of Defence instead of Sergei Shoigu. Belousov had previously served as the first Deputy Prime Minister.
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