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The revolt of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was the culmination of his massive criticism of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Putin’s confidante has long been accused of failings in waging the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin was the loudest voice and repeatedly demanded his expulsion. But even after the largely unopposed advance of the Wagner soldiers towards Moscow, Shoigu is still in office.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov hastened to say on Saturday that he was not aware of any change in President Vladimir Putin’s attitude towards his defense minister. Personnel problems were not part of talks to end the uprising, Peskov said.

The current developments in the live ticker:

As head of Russia’s private army, Wagner had accused Minister Shoigu’s Prigozhin and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov of incompetence and blamed them for the many defeats in the war. He kept saying that the war with the minister and Gerasimov could not be won. Prigozhin also complained about corruption, bureaucracy, fraud and theft in the Russian armed forces led by the two.

“The defense ministry is trying to mislead the president and the public,” Prigozhin said before the uprising. “The military special operation started for very different reasons.”

Then the infamous mercenary chief added:

Moreover, Russian and pro-Russian oligarchs had hoped for benefits from the war, Prigozhin railed. He has provided no evidence for this. The 68-year-old Shoigu, on the other hand, had suggested placing the mercenaries under his command – which Prigozhin vehemently rejected.

But Prigozhin wasn’t the only one targeting Shoigu. Shortly after the start of the war, there were voices from the Russian ranks expressing doubts about Shoigu’s abilities. As early as May 2022, a former commander of the pro-Russian armed forces in eastern Ukraine made serious accusations against the Russian defense minister for the lack of military successes. “I directly accuse Sergei Shoigu of at least criminal negligence,” said Igor Girkin in a video interview published on his Telegram channel.

The Russian nationalist himself is not innocent: he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in the Netherlands for his part in the downing of flight MH-17 over Ukraine.

Just a few days ago, a short video circulated in which Putin Shoigu allegedly watched an event with his neck. There was speculation that the relationship between the two had cooled.

In January, Vladimir Putin reacted to the slow offensive in Ukraine and appointed Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in Ukraine. He replaced Air Force General Sergei Surovikin, who was given the post in early October. Sourovikin became Gerasimov’s deputy. But Gerasimov has not been able to demonstrate any further successes either – and that also weakens Shoigu’s position.

In addition to Prigozhin, the Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov also criticized the defense minister. Last September he had called for a general mobilization. “If you ask me, I would declare a state of war and take every opportunity to dispose of these infidels as quickly as possible,” he said on Telegram at the time. He even wanted to personally go to Moscow to explain. He publicly criticized the lack of military support – and Putin nevertheless promoted him to the rank of Colonel General.

After the Ukrainian town of Lyman was once again abandoned by the Russian occupiers, the influential blogger and former PR chief of Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin Anastasiya Kashevarova demanded answers from Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov:

The Russian Defense Minister is apparently aware of the hostilities. The British Ministry of Defense saw a public relations campaign a few days ago: “Shoigu is probably aware of the need to maintain a positive image despite increasingly open criticism from some compatriots,” it wrote in its assessment. For example, the minister would make exaggerated claims about Ukrainian losses.

Putin’s defender never served himself – of which he has sometimes been accused. He studied civil engineering and initially worked in this profession. His political career began under Boris Yeltsin, who gave him responsibility for civil defense. Shoigu knew how to stage himself in the event of an accident, and in 1999 he was proclaimed “Hero of the Russian Federation”. Then in 2012 Putin appointed him defense minister – and suddenly the engineer was also army general.

The British Secret Service reported that the lack of personal experience in uniform was why he was not taken seriously in military circles. There were even rumors that he had fallen out of favor with Putin. The Kremlin chief is still holding Shoigu. But Shoigu could become a pawn sacrifice to calm the waves of outrage. It remains to be seen whether the man from Siberia will survive politically in the coming days.

Used sources:

(t-online, when)