This article was originally published on Daily Star - WW3. You can read the original article HERE
Vladimir Putin's sacking of his Defence Minister is evidence the Kremlin is gearing up for World War 3, a leading Russian dissident has said.
Putin shook Russia's political establishment up at the weekend as he wielded the axe against some of his closest political allies.
One of the most prominent members of his cabinet to be shown the door was Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, who haw been replaced by Andrei Belousov.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak warns 7 things making world more dangerous, from dictators, nukes and AI
Click for more of the latest news from across the world from the Daily Star.
The former minister had come under intense scrutiny and criticism for his handling of the war, which has until now seen just incremental gains at the cost of thousands of Russian soldiers' lives, reports the Express.
Belousov, a former first Deputy Prime Minister, is a close confidant of the Kremlin tyrant, advising him on economics.
An opponent of free markets, he is known to favour nationalising the economy and imposing higher taxes on businesses in a throwback to Soviet times.
Ilya Ponomarev, a leading anti-Putin activist, said, the move clearly shows the Kremlin is preparing for a long drawn out war that most likely will "go beyond" Ukraine.
He said: "I think his priorities changed. He does not believe in military breakthroughs any longer.
"And a war of attrition needs a strong industrialist as the top manager. Military decisions will be made by Putin himself."
The former Russian MP went on to say that Putin's cabinet reshuffle means "they are planning to fight for a long time" adding "and that's most likely to go beyond Ukraine.....Baltic States, Poland... who knows.
"Just (appointing) Belousov means the continuation of the militarisation of the economy, long-term."
Putin's reshuffle also saw Nikolai Patrushev removed from his position as Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, in what Ponomarev believes was a power-play move to stamp out any possibility of revolt.
He said: "He kept balance with firing Patrushev, who just attacked Shoigu recently (Ivanov's arrest), but promoted Patrushev-junior at the same time," he said.
Click for more of the latest news from across the world from the Daily Star.
This article was originally published by Daily Star - WW3. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!
Comments