2024-05-04 08:36:38
On Thursday, Putns met with the governor of the Tula region, Alexey Dyumin, who is associated with the mercenary group “Wagner”. This may indicate that Putin is trying to reduce Shoigu‘s power, make him more similar in importance to his rivals and punish his failure to implement the Kremlin’s war aims, according to the American think tank.
Putin is believed to have deliberately publicized the meeting with Dyumin after the high-profile arrest of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov on April 24 and ahead of the May 7 inauguration to punish the Shoigu-led ministry for failing to achieve the Kremlin’s goals in the war.
The meeting between Putin and Dyumin has sparked wide discussions in the Russian information space, and many commentators have drawn attention to the fact that the meeting took place between Ivanov’s arrest and Putin’s inauguration.
Sources in the Russian leadership suggest that the Kremlin could appoint Dyumin to a new post linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
It was previously reported that Shoigu had a close relationship with Ivanov, and that Ivanov’s detention, as well as Dyumin’s return to the forefront, may indicate that the Kremlin is not satisfied with Shoigu’s work.
ISW has observed that Putin regularly rotates officials and army commanders who have gained his favor, hoping to galvanize various factions towards his goals.
2024-05-04 08:36:38