Russian President Vladimir V. Putin replaced his defense minister on Sunday, reshuffling his national security team for the first time since his invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Putin kept Minister Sergei K. Shoigu in his inner circle, appointing him to head the country’s security council.
Andrei R. Belousov, an economist who served as first deputy prime minister in the last government and previously minister of economic development, has been named the new defense chief.
It is not clear what authority Mr. Choïgu will retain over the war effort.
The Kremlin also said that Nikolai P. Patrushev, a former KGB colleague of Mr. Putin who led the Russian security council for 16 years, would be moved to another position to be announced in the coming days.
Russian commentators were quick to express surprise at the appointment of an economist to oversee Russia’s sprawling military. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry S. Peskov told reporters that Mr. Putin made the decision because of the sharp increase in the defense budget over the past two years.
“It is very important to adapt the economy of the security bloc to the economy of the country, to adapt it in such a way that it corresponds to the dynamics of the current moment,” Peskov said.
It is a rare upset for Mr. Putin, who values loyalty and remains by Mr. Shoigu despite Russian military failures early in the war and last summer’s embarrassing mutiny by mercenary leader Eugene V . Prigozhin.
The possible change in Mr. Shoigu’s stature was signaled last month, when Russian authorities arrested one of his top deputies on corruption charges. His replacement by Mr Belousov – long considered one of Mr Putin’s most trusted economic advisers – also highlights the Kremlin’s success in keeping the Russian economy afloat in the face of Western sanctions.
The move comes less than a week after Mr. Putin was inaugurated for his fifth term as Russian president. The Russian leader’s entire cabinet has been dispersed as part of the government transition. Many, but not all, of his ministers were reappointed to their positions.
The general. Valery V. Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of staff and the highest ranking officer in the Russian army will remain in his post, the Kremlin said.
