Andrey Removich Belousov (born 17 March 1959) is a Russian politician and economist, serving as the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

since May 2024. From January 2020 to May 2024, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.Подписаны указы о Первом заместителе и заместителях Председателя Правительства

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020. Previously, he was an Aide to the

President of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

and Minister of Economic Development. Belousov has the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.

Early life

Belousov was born in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

on 17 March 1959. His mother was a chemist and his father was an economist who worked in the State Planning Committee. Belousov went to the prestigious secondary school focused on mathematics and physics (now known as Lyceum named after V.F. Ovchinnikov). His younger brother Dmitry (born in 1972) is an economist who works as director of the Analysis and Forecasting of Macroeconomic Processes Laboratory of the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

Education

Belousov studied economics at the Faculty of Economics of the

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

which he graduated from with honors with a major in economic cybernetics in 1981. In 1986, he defended his thesis on the topic "Simulation approach to modeling interrelated processes of formation and use of circulating capital" at the Central Economic Mathematical Institute and became a candidate of economic sciences. In 2006, Belousov defended his thesis on the topic "Contradictions and prospects for the development of the system of the reproduction of the Russian economy" at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the

and became a doctor of economic sciences.

Career

Academic career

From 1981 to 1986, Belousov was probationer-researcher and then junior researcher in the simulation laboratory of human-machine systems of the Central Economic Mathematical Institute. From 1991 to 2006, he was head of a laboratory of the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the

. He was external advisor to the prime minister from 2000 to 2006.

Ministry of Economic Development (2006–2013)

Belousov served as deputy minister of economic development and trade for two years from 2006 to 2008. From 2008 to 2012, he was director of the finances and economic department in the Russian Prime Minister's office. Dmitry Medvedev and Nikolay Azarov 27 June 2012 02

Dmitry Medvedev and Nikolay Azarov 27 June 2012 02

On 21 May 2012, he was appointed minister of economic development to the cabinet led by prime minister

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

. Belousov succeeded Elvira Nabiullina as minister of economic development. He is considered a

Keynesian Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output an ...

economist who believed in state intervention in the economy.

Presidential Administration (2013–2020)

On 24 June 2013, he was appointed as Putin's Presidential Aide in Economic Affairs. Belousov was Putin's only economic adviser who supported the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. He believed Russia was "encircled by enemies".

First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (2020–2024)

On 21 January 2020, Belousov was appointed as First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Mikhail Mishustin's Cabinet. From 30 April to 19 May 2020, Belousov was appointed by

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

as Acting

Prime Minister of Russia The prime minister of the Russian Federation, also domestically stylized as the chairman of the government of the Russian Federation and widely recognized as the prime minister, is the head of government of Russia and the second highest ranking ...

, temporarily replacing Mikhail Mishustin, after the latter was diagnosed with

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

. According to

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

, he is one possible successor to Putin.

Minister of Defence (2024–)

On 12 May 2024, President Putin appointed Belousov Minister of Defense, replacing Sergei Shoigu, effective 14 May 2024. Jimmy Rushton, a Kyiv-based security analyst, said on X, formerly Twitter, that Shoigu's replacement with Belousov signals that Putin believes he will win "via outproducing (and outlasting) Ukraine" and is "preparing for many more years of war". Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said that Putin sees the war in Ukraine as a

war of attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...

and Belousov is supposed to help transform Russia's heavily militarised economy into a war economy. As of 2024, military spending accounts for about 30% of Russia's budget. On 14 October 2024, he arrived in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Belousov and Chinese Defense Minister

Dong Jun Dong Jun ( zh, s=董军, p=Dǒng Jūn; born in 1961) is a Chinese admiral of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He was the Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy from September 2021 to December 2023. On 29 December 2023, he was app ...

called for the two sides to "deepen strategic collaboration" and "continuously advance military relations." On 10 December 2024, Belousov held talks with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...

. Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening defence ties with Russia. On 16 December 2024, Belousov said at a joint meeting with Putin that Russia should prepare for multiple scenarios, including a war with NATO, in the next decade. He also said that Russia aims to achieve victory in the war against Ukraine and fully

conquer Conquer may refer to: * Conquer (Soulfly album), 2008 * Conquer (Carl Thomas album), 2011 * "Conquer" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' See also * *Conquistador (disambiguation) Conquistador is a ...

Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions by 2025. Belousov claimed that Ukraine lost "almost 1 million people" during the war with Russia.

Awards

* Honoured Economist of the Russian Federation (2007) * Order of Honour (2009)

Bibliography

* ''Эволюция системы воспроизводства российской экономики: от кризиса к развитию ()'' (Moscow. 2006. ISBN 5-317-01601-0)

Sanctions

In relation to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Belousov is under sanctions of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Private life

Belousov was married twice. He is fond of history of painting. He is orthodox believer and regularly attends church. In his youth, he practiced karate and sambo, nowadays he is engaged in athletics. His son Pavel graduated from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belousov, Andrey 1959 births Living people People from Moscow Academics from Moscow Economists from Moscow Politicians from Moscow Moscow State University alumni Russian academics 20th-century Russian economists 21st-century Russian economists 21st-century Russian politicians 1st class Active State Councillors of the Russian Federation Economy ministers of Russia Aides to the president of Russia Deputy heads of government of the Russian Federation Acting prime ministers of the Russian Federation Ministers of defence of Russia Independent politicians in Russia Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Pro-Russian people of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Russian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions