Reuters
Russia's main task is to achieve victory on the battlefield in Ukraine with the minimal loss of troops, Andrei Belousov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's nominee for defence minister, said on Tuesday. Russia should employ all advanced and effective tools in its arsenal to ensure such a victory, he said, adding that it needed to ensure defence spending was used more effectively. Belousov, an economist whom Putin unexpectedly nominated on Sunday to replace Sergei Shoigu, said the military sector needed more efficiency and innovation.