Russia reshuffle: Putin is preparing for a ‘long’ war against the West, senior Ukrainian official says

Having replaced his defense minister Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin is announcing that he is preparing for a “long” war against the West, the secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council told AFP on Monday.

“This suggests that Putin is planning a war for a long time. The war is not only against Ukraine, but also against the West as a whole, a war against NATO,” Alexander Litvinenko said in an interview.

Unexpected rearrangement

The Russian president on Sunday night fired his iconic defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, who has held the post since 2012, in a surprise reshuffle, days after he was inaugurated for a fifth term and after more than two years of conflict in Ukraine.

Sergei Shoigu is replaced by Andrei Belousov, an economist by training, and he becomes Secretary of the Security Council. Previously, this position was held by Nikolai Patrushev, who was relieved of his duties according to a decree published by the Kremlin.

The changes come as the Russian army advances into the Ukrainian region of Kharkov, days after launching a ground assault there, and increases its pressure in the Donbass region of Chasovoy Yar.

“More than 30 thousand” Russian soldiers are involved in the new offensive.”

“More than 30,000” Russian soldiers are participating in a new Moscow-led offensive in northeastern Ukraine, near the country’s second city Kharkov, which is “not under threat,” the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council told AFP on Monday. Ukraine.

“About 50 thousand (Russian soldiers) were on the border. There have been more than 30,000 attackers in the region since Friday, Alexander Litvinenko told AFP, adding that at this stage there was “no threat of an attack on the city of Kharkov.”