MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Monday appointed former economy minister Oleg Savelyev as the new deputy defense minister of the country.
The appointment shows Putin’s intention to improve the efficiency of Russia’s war economy.
Last week Putin in a surprise move removed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and replaced him with Andrei Belousov, a renowned economist and former deputy prime minister.
The development was widely seen as aimed at getting more value from defense spending and cleaning up the ministry, which has been involved in a major bribery scandal.
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Savelyev worked in the economy ministry from 2008 to 2014 and also served as a deputy to Belousov, who led the ministry at the time.
After the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Savelyev served as Minister for Crimean Affairs. For the last five years, he has been an auditor for the Russian Accounts Chamber, overseeing state defense and security spending.
