The Financial Times concluded that a new distribution of power has already begun in the Kremlin. The head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, may come under attack from the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Shoigu may become Putin's new enemy
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry was in an advantageous position for quite a long time.
This was facilitated not only by the death of his main critic, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ex-squad of the "Wagner" PMC, but also by the minor successes of the Russian army at the front.
However, the head of the Kremlin does not want Shoigu to overshadow him in any way in the political arena, because he understands that this could threaten his future.
Putin, who is known to be wary of any faction within his elite gaining too much power, appears to have concluded that the Kremlin needs to find a new way to balance the Shoigu center of power and the Defense Ministry now that Prigozhin no longer plays that role. - writes WSJ, with reference to its insiders.
Putin's war against Shoigu has already begun
According to journalists, this is evidenced by one eloquent fact, namely the arrest of Shoigu's deputy Timur Ivanov.
The Financial Times points out that Ivanov's extravagant lifestyle, which clearly went beyond his official capabilities, made him an easy target for the Kremlin.
In fact, the Russian dictator was angry at the corruption of officials — he just needed an excuse to start hunting Shoigu and his team.
Inevitably, in a clique where power is largely distributed through patronage, [people] sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of someone's wrath... As the war drags on, this power and money-seeking clique feels more and more pressured. And sometimes someone is chosen to take the blame for what's going on," explains General Jim Hockenhull, head of the British Army's Strategic Command.
