Andrey Belousov

Belousov was born in Moscow 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. ==Education==

Belousov studied economics at the Faculty of Economics of the Moscow State University, which he graduated from with honors with a major in economic cybernetics in 1981. 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 Russian Academy of Sciences 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 Russian Academy of Sciences. He was external advisor to the prime minister from 2000 to 2006. On 21 May 2012, he was appointed minister of economic development to the cabinet led by prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. He is considered a Keynesian economist who believed in state intervention in the economy. He believed Russia was "encircled by enemies". According to Politico, he is one possible successor to Putin. Minister of defence (2024–present) , 15 May 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 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. In July 2024, he held talks with Indonesian defense minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto. Belousov called Indonesia one of Russia's key partners in the Asia-Pacific region. In August 2024, he held talks in Moscow on strengthening military cooperation with the defense ministers of Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Mali, and the Central African Republic. On 14 October 2024, he arrived in Beijing, China. Belousov and Chinese defense minister Dong Jun called for the two sides to "deepen strategic collaboration" and "continuously advance military relations." On 10 December 2024, Belousov held talks with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening defence ties with Russia. In December 2024, Belousov highlighted the extensive use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by Russian forces, stating that over 3,500 drones are deployed on the battlefield daily. 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 Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions by 2025. Belousov claimed that Ukraine lost "almost 1 million people" during the war with Russia. ==Sanctions==

In relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belousov is under sanctions of Ukraine, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. ==Personal life==

Belousov was married twice. He is fond of the history of painting. He is an Orthodox believer and regularly attends church. His son graduated from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. ==Awards==

• Honoured Economist of the Russian Federation (2007) • Order of Honour (2009) ==Bibliography==