Over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin replaced Shoigu — the 68-year-old was the longest serving member of his Cabinet — in a rare Kremlin shake-up that took place even as a Russian offensive in northeastern Ukraine was making gains.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's decision to replace Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrey Belousov is part of a strategy to prolong the war in Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said,