[source: https://www.rt.com/russia/597586-new-russian-defense-minister/]

Andrey Belousov has officially become the ninth minister of defense in the history of modern Russia. He was nominated by President Vladimir Putin on May 12. The decision was unexpected, as he is the first civilian to hold the post. Belousov has never served in law enforcement agencies and spent most of his career working as an academic economist.

At the same time, Belousov is a longstanding member of the Russian political elite who has held important government positions for the past 20 years. In these years, he has demonstrated his professionalism and his unique vision of Russia’s future.

To help get a better idea of who Andrey Belousov is, RT has compiled a selection of quotes from the new defense minister’s recent speeches and interviews.

Relations with the West and Russia’s mission 

[Russia should follow the path of] modernized conservatism… Russia can preserve traditional Western values. The West has abandoned these traditional values and moved on to something else – to an anti-traditional [mindset] within the framework of postmodernism.

*** JdN “Anti-traditional” — yes, or, let us say quite openly, “SATANIC”

A 1955 Canadian ten-dollar bill

[It is important to] preserve traditional Western values, which in a certain sense are the values of Western Christian civilization, European civilization. And Russia can become the guardian of these values. This may sound like a paradox, but it’s true. In this respect, it would be wrong to call the West our enemy…

But in the West, there are certain elites… and considerable parts of society that are associated with traditional values. And in this respect, they may grasp at this straw, this chance which Russia offers them to preserve some [of their values].

On the global world 

It would be more correct to talk about turning towards the South, not just the East. But in itself, the word ‘turn’ is rather sly, because it implies the ideology of the global world. The global world – at least in the minds of its ideologists – was monocentric. It was composed of the Anglo-Saxon core and ‘old’ Europe which joined it, and together they ruled the world. And then, we somehow fit into this world. By the way, that’s true, we really tried to fit in… But now, we have been sort of thrown out. Though we left on our own as well.

But the ideology of a multipolar world is about developing a certain self-dependence, similar to [Carl] Jung’s concept of the Self. It is different from the ‘persona’, or ‘mask’ that one wears. All sovereign countries should possess this [concept of the] Self. Countries that are not sovereign, by definition, cannot possess it. I deeply respect countries like Holland, the Netherlands, [but] they do not possess sovereignty.

On the ‘Selfhood’ of a nation 

There is no other option for our country but to acquire or rediscover this Self. Some say that we have huge resources, we have talented people. That is true. But the most important prerequisite for [forming] our Self is great culture. We have our own cultural code, our own cultural identity, which most countries and peoples do not have. By the way, Dostoevsky felt it very well. Dostoevsky, especially in works such as ‘A Writer’s Diary’, expressed it 100% precisely. And many other writers of the 19th and 20th century [spoke about this] too. That is our most important resource, which we must use.

We need people to understand that they carry within themselves this cultural code. [This should be done] through various mechanisms – through patriotism, through education, through the experience of their fathers and grandfathers… If we solve this problem, economic tasks will be secondary. They are complex, but I am sure that we will solve them, because essentially, we have everything that we need to achieve this.

On Russian elites 

Everyone cannot look in the same direction. This has never happened in the past and will never happen. Especially in our country. Our country has always been marked by divided values and this situation always becomes worse during periods of reform. Whether it’s Peter [the Great’s] reforms… We call him Peter the Great, but in those times, some called him the antichrist and anathematized him. And I’m not even talking about the [Russian] revolution, when our officer corps split in two: 50% supported the Reds [the Bolsheviks] and 50% supported the Whites [anti-communist forces that fought the Bolsheviks]. Who were these people? They formed the elite. But a particular kind of elite.

The same thing happened in the 1990s, when a major split occurred in our society.

On what Russia has to offer 

Considering the situation, I would put food [production] in the first place, because Russia possesses a significant part of the world’s fertile lands. Of course, there is also energy, including energy services and energy security. Russia can [also] offer military security. In some fields, Russia can offer technology and in others, logistics, because a number of transcontinental transport corridors pass through Russia. So, we have something to offer the world.

On Russia’s strategy in the next decade

What strategy should a large national economy, such as Russia’s, adopt in the nearest five to ten years? The answer is quite simple: It needs to ensure strategic sustainability, and this is possible only through the formation of sustainable country alliances. Therefore, the essence of Russia’s strategy should be to build alliances with friendly countries…

A new bipolar structure is emerging, [but also] a new confrontation between blocs. In my opinion, this is not quite right. We should rather consider a system of alliances – such as when different major players enter into different alliances, including multilateral and bilateral ones. And the result is what we call a multipolar world.

On sovereignty 

Sovereignty does not imply complete independence. Sovereignty means that the country and society are able to achieve their national goals. If you can set goals and achieve them, then you are a sovereign country. China, India, Indonesia can do this, but Europe can’t. Europe has lost its sovereignty. And I’m not even talking about other countries that we all know about. This is not due to the fact that there is a political dictatorship there, or something like that. Simply, something is missing, you know what I mean? [The concept of] sovereignty implies both the state of a society, its cultural identity, and the availability of resources for further development.

In the early 2000s, Russia also had trouble finding balance, but it moved on. But I want to say that when the country is in a difficult situation or at a crossroads, the mobilization model of the economy is not the only choice, that’s the point.

On the objectives as minister of defense

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….Belousev the reincarnation of Suvorov?

Reincarnation is a proven fact, not a theory. We have many lives. And  since 1965 the University of Virginia Medical School has been piling up the case studies, now over 2,500.

In his looks, and in his character, achievements, goals and values, this Belousov sure seems like the reincarnation of Suvorov.

Tsargrad. Vladimir/Ivanovo

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“A high forehead speaks of intelligence”: what does the new Defense Minister Belousov have in common with Alexander Suvorov

In the appearance of both statesmen find a lot in common. Anastasia Kashevarova saw the similarity in these portraits

After the nomination of Andrei Belousov to the post of Defense Minister of Russia, many (and some – much earlier) noted the similarity of the new head of the military department with the great Russian commander Alexander Suvorov. If you dig deeper, these figures from different eras have much more in common than it might seem at first glance.

Maxim SKURATOV

Well, the spitting image of Alexander Vasilyevich!

The fact that Belousov and Suvorov are similar was first stated by journalistAnastasia Kashevarova. Unlike many commentators on appointments to the Russian government, she did not engage in lengthy political science arguments. wrotebriefly:

And Belousov always reminded me of Suvorov, whose portrait hung in the history class at our school. I’m just really happy. They are really similar.

Publication Life.ru it took it even further. Journalists took a comment from the political scientist and physiognomist Sergey Dvoryanov. The expert said that the similarity between Belousov and Suvorov is fateful, and this is not a random sign at all, but “an incomprehensible riddle of Russian history.”

Here’s how the expert read the faces of statesmen from different eras:

The external similarity of the two historical figures is not accidental. A high forehead indicates intelligence and an analytical mindset, its owner is not inclined to act at random; he calculates his decisions. Thick eyebrows give out both in Suvorov and Belousov a man-winner, persistent and fearless. Even and straight nose — a sign that its owner is used to achieving goals, and thin lips indicate a strong-willed person who can control emotions.

However, there is a nuance. Here it is very important what to compare with.

It is not known for certain what the Prince of Italy, Count Suvorov-Rymniksky, really looked like. It looks different in all the portraits. Some of them can be called more a fantasy of artists on the theme of the appearance of the great commander, rather than historically correct images.

This is the result of Yandex search results if you type “portrait of Suvorov”

Even the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, the famous partisan Denis Davydov, who personally saw Suvorov, wrote in his memoirs:

…I don’t like any of his busts, none of his portraits, except the portrait painted in Vienna during the trip to Italy, of which I have the most accurate copy, and the bust of Guichard, sculpted from a cast of his face after his death: the portrait, artfully engraved by Utkin, does not look like: it is without the original the expression on his face, sleeping and lifeless.

Bust of Suvorov in the museum in Undola (Lakinsk, Vladimir region). Photo by Tsargrad.

Davydov talks about a portrait that was made during Suvorov’s stay in Vienna by the court artist of Emperor Franz II, Josef Kreuzinger. It was 1799, and the Count was at the height of his fame after the Italian campaign, but he did not like to pose. Kreuzinger was one of the few artists who was lucky enough to capture the Generalissimo, as they say, live.

Strikingly, in this portrait, the similarity between Belousov and Suvorov is even more obvious.

Photo of Belousov from a meeting of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and a ceremonial portrait of Suvorov by Kreuzinger.

“Universal soldiers” and ecclesiastical people

This is not the end of the common life and fate of the Minister of Defense and the famous military leader.

First, both Suvorov and Belousov are Muscovites. The fact of Alexander Vasilyevich’s birth in Moscow is not confirmed, but many researchers are inclined to this version.

Secondly, there are the things that played a crucial role in determining the careers of both.

General-in-Chief Vasily Suvorov was a Guards officer, served in the Military College and Secret Chancellery, at the end of his life became a senator, was friends with the” Arab Peter the Great “Abram Hannibal, collected an extensive library, in which a special place was occupied by works on military affairs, which inspired young Sasha to choose a further path.

Rem Belousov is considered the founder of the Soviet scientific school in the field of pricing and management. The scientist was engaged in the preparation of the so-called “Kosygin” reform, which expanded the independence of enterprises, and studied the economic history of the USSR. It is obvious that my son, after graduating from the second physics and mathematics school, did not accidentally enter the Economics Department of Moscow State University, where he graduated with a red diploma in economic cybernetics.

Third, both Suvorov and Belousov can be called“universal soldiers” of their time. Statesmen and professionals, top-level team players and system people, they go where the Motherland sends them, are ready to work in any position, take on any task— and always cope.

If  the track record of Andrey Ramovich is a vivid confirmation of this, then the textbook idea of Alexander Vasilyevich does not seem to fit into this scheme. Let’s take a closer look at the biography of the count-commander. Few people know that Suvorov, in whose commanding star his father, a general, did not really believe, began as an army supply officer and even rose to the rank of Ober-Kriegskommissar. Suvorov was good both as an administrator and as a commander. In battles, he shone, but never failed on any “front of work” to which he had been sent by the state.

Already an elderly man, by crossing the Alps, Suvorov managed to prove that impossible tasks do not exist for him.

Should Pugachev’s revolt be suppressed? Get Suvorov.

Protect the newly annexed Crimea not only from the Turks, but also from the plague epidemic? Get Suvorov.

Build military fortifications on the borders with Turkey and Sweden? Get Suvorov. Pacify the Polish uprising? Suvorov yet again.

Fourth, both Suvorov and Belousov occupy the upper rungs of the”table of ranks”.

The Minister of Defense has the highest class rank of the Russian civil Service: he is a full state councilor of the first class. This corresponds to the rank of General of the army or Admiral of the Fleet (there are no marshals, field marshals, or generalissimo in our country).

The great general also had the highest rank, but a military one. Everyone remembers that by the end of his life Suvorov was promoted to Generalissimo.

Fifth, both the heroes of our publication are not only recognized practitioners, but also known theorists. Suvorov’s “Science of Winning” became the alphabet of military affairs of its era. The works of Doctor of Economics Belousov may not be so well-known (“Integrated matrices of financial flows”, “Russian Economic Miracle: let’s do it ourselves”, “Evolution of the Russian economy’s reproduction system: from crisis to development”), but the scientist’s contribution to the study of the Russian economy is obvious.

Fifth, both heroes of our publication are deeply ecclesiastical people. During the fall from grace, due to disagreements with Pavel I, Suvorov lived in his Konchanskoe estate in the Novgorod province. This is how, according to eyewitnesses, he started his day:

He got up two hours before light, drank tea, doused himself with water, and at dawn went to church, where he stood for matins and mass, and read and sang himself.

Temple in Undola (Lakinsk, Vladimir region) – here Suvorov got married and sang in the choir. Photo of Tsargrad.

Faith was so important for Alexander Vasilyevich that in the “Science of Winning” he noted: “Pray to God! It’s a victory. God guides us – he is our general!” During the time of his disgrace, he even considered retiring from worldly affairs to a monastery.

Like Suvorov, Andrey Ramovich is not just a parishioner. A 2013 photo from the archive of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Puchkovo (New Moscow) was passed around by the media. Andrey Belousov is photographed in the vestments of a clergyman during the feast of the Annunciation.

Photo from the archive of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Puchkovo, where Andrey Belousov was baptized.

Deacons are assistants to priests. They cannot perform the sacraments, but after ordination (with the blessing of the bishop or rector of the church) they help to perform services.

The church in Puchkovo played a special role in the life of Andrey Belousov. This is where his journey to faith began. According to the rector, ArchpriestLeonid Tsarevsky, it was in this church that the then well-known economist and expert was baptized in 2007.

Since then, a new, spiritual chapter in the life of the politician began, which continues to this day. Leonid Tsarevsky, by the way, for Andrey Belouslov became not only a kind of spiritual mentor, but also a real friend. The politician tried not to lose touch with the parish, visited, helped in various projects, participated in services as an altar boy.

– Now he rarely comes to us. A few years ago, he began to visit the St. Sergius Lavra more often. He mostly goes there. But we are friends and correspond with him, Father Leonid KP.

Time will tell whether Andrei Belousov will be able to go down in history as a man who managed to reboot the military department shrouded in scandals and give it a new impetus.

One thing is already clear: you need to get down to business in a Suvorov way.