The US Department of State has commented on the Kremlin's decision to dismiss Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, saying it is Russia's attempt to prepare for an economic war and find ways to continue the war in Ukraine.
This is reported by Reuters.
The agency reports that on Monday, May 13, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the recent reshuffle in the Russian defence ministry was another indication of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's "desperation to sustain" his invasion of Ukraine.
The report recalls how on Sunday, 12 May, Vladimir Putin suddenly appointed a civilian economist, Andrey Belousov, as the new Minister of Defence. This can probably also be seen as an attempt to prepare Russia for economic war by, as Reuters reports, "...trying to better utilize the defense budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine."
Earlier, we wrote about the personnel changes in the Kremlin.