Putin's Cabinet Shakeup Reflects Shift in Strategy As Ukraine War Persists

Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched his fifth term with a rare shake-up of the government that analysts say is driven by the need to manage a long and increasingly costly war of aggression against Ukraine and the fallout from Moscow's mounting confrontation with the West. Putin on May 12 removed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu – long seen as one of Putin's closest confidants and mentioned periodically as a possible presidential successor -- and replaced him with acting First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, a 65-year-old economist…