Days after Vladimir Putin made the surprise appointment of economist Andrei Belousov as Russia’s defense minister, the president’s vision of transforming their nation’s economy into a war economy has begun.

Soon after his inauguration for a sixth term, Putin replaced long-serving Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu with Belousov — a Keynesian economist who believes in a strong state hand in the economy, a former deputy premier and economics minister, and someone who never served a day in the military.

But sources who know the Kremlin and who spoke to Newsmax agree that Belousov’s chief quality is loyalty to Putin and that he will execute his agenda without hesitation.

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