Andrei Belousov

Background

Andrey Removich Belousov has served as the minister of defence of Russia since May 2024. In that role, he heads the Ministry of Defence and is responsible for overseeing the country’s defence administration and related state functions. As a senior member of the Russian government, he occupies one of the most important posts in the federal executive branch and is a key figure in Russian public affairs and security policy.

Born on 17 March 1959, Belousov is a Russian politician and economist. Before becoming defence minister, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from January 2020 to May 2024. Earlier in his career, he was an aide to the president of Russia and also held the post of minister of economic development. He has also been granted the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.

Belousov’s career has linked economic policy and top-level state administration. His roles in the presidential administration and in the government placed him among the officials shaping economic management and broader executive policy, before his transfer to the defence portfolio in 2024. He has therefore been associated with both Russia’s economic governance and its current defence leadership, reflecting a trajectory across several major institutions of the Russian state.