Russian President Vladimir Putin reshuffled several top officials Friday, including Russia’s deputy prime minister for the defense ministry.
Yuri Borisov, who had held the position since 2018, was responsible for the Russian military’s rearmament, according to the state-run news agency TASS. His replacement could indicate a dissatisfaction with the Russian military’s performance in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
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“In accordance with subsection ‘e’ of article 83 of the Russian Constitution, Yury Ivanovich Borisov is hereby relieved from the post of deputy chairman of the government of the Russian Federation,” the decree relieving him of command reads.
Borisov had recently admitted deficiencies in Russia’s arms manufacturing under his tenure, particularly with drones.
“I think we were late with the deployment of drones,” he said in an interview with state television. Samuel Bendett, an analyst at the CNA military think tank, told the Associated Press that although Russian drones have proven effective, their stock is mostly depleted. Some reports claim that Russia is ordering hundreds of Iranian drones to make up for losses.
Despite Borisov’s dismissal from the head of Russia’s arms industry, his appointment as head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos indicates that he hasn’t fully lost the favor of the Kremlin. He is replacing Dmitry Rogozin, an anti-Western firebrand known for his public threats to the West. Just last month, in a single day, he threatened to fire missiles at the “cowardly Bulgarians,” the “vindictive Romanians,” and the “traitorous Montenegrins,” according to Meduza.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told TASS that Rogozin’s dismissal isn’t connected to any complaints about his performance. Rogozin will take up a position as the manager of the newly occupied areas of Ukraine, according to some reports.
