Putin to replace longtime Russian defense minister

The big picture: Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, whose background is in economics, will replace Shoigu, according to a post on the Russian Parliament's Telegram channel.

• Russian forces have intensified attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted in a briefing that Russia's military spending was becoming similar to that of the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, per state media.
• "The defense ministry must be absolutely open to innovation, to the introduction of all advanced ideas, to the creation of conditions for economic competitiveness," Peskov said. "The battlefield is won by whoever is more open to innovation."

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