Vladimir putin has never been one to radically overhaul his top team. Those who fall foul of his rules may find themselves in jail, or blown out of the sky. But Russia’s autocrat typically prefers to keep the loyal close, watched over, and rewarded. News of the dismissal of Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister of 12 years, in the middle of war, thus raised eyebrows. Replacing him with Andrei Belousov, a technocrat with no previous direct relations to the security bloc, was even more...