Country in shock: Defense Minister Shoigu disappeared

In Russia, which is at war with Ukraine, the short-term rebellion of the Wagner mercenary group is not on the agenda.

At the end of the Belarusian mediation, Wagner’s leader Yevgeny Prigojin withdrew the mercenary group, while Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who remained silent throughout this process, did not appear in the middle.

As the Russian-Ukrainian war raged, Shoigu, who was often criticized by Prigojin, did not comment for days, while the Wagner leader called for Shoigu to be handed over.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who made a statement on the issue last night and answered questions about any dismissals at the Defense Ministry, commented: “These issues are Putin’s prerogative.”

Shoigu, 68, who served as defense minister for many years, stands out among Putin’s close staff as someone who did not serve in the Soviet Union’s era intelligence unit. While Prigojin frequently criticized Shoigu’s son-in-law Alexey Stolyarov for not sending him to war in Ukraine, the British Sunday Times claimed that Shoigu could have been sacked.

“THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS TO BE REMOVED”

The British Mail on Sunday newspaper, on the other hand, claimed that the reason for the silence of Shoigu, who made no comments and did not appear before the public for days, was Putin’s dismissal of the defense minister. “If the expulsion allegations are true, this would please Wagner leader Prigojin. He has been very critical of Shoigu in recent weeks, and Prigojin’s removal was one of his main goals.

It was also revealed last month that Shoigu has a 22-year-old son from an illicit affair. It became known that a girl named Danila Shebunov, a flight attendant named Yelena Shebunova, came to Turkey on vacation in September, despite being summoned.