26-6-2023 (MOSCOW) In a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defence on Monday (Jun 26), Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was seen addressing troops, marking his first known public appearance since the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group.
The video, which had no sound, did not provide immediate details about the location or timing of the visit.
Shoigu was shown flying in a plane alongside a colleague and receiving reports at a command post operated by Russia’s Zapad (West) military grouping.
According to the Defence Ministry TV channel, Zvezda, Shoigu appeared physically unharmed and composed as he listened to a report from Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov, the group’s commander, about the current situation on the Ukrainian front lines.
Sergei Shoigu visited the forward command post of the “Western” group of troops in the NVO zone – Russian Defense Ministry
The commander of the group, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov, reported to the head of the department on the formation and ongoing combat coordination of… pic.twitter.com/L67OzEZTMT
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99880) June 26, 2023
During the mutiny, led by renegade Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who took control of Russia’s military headquarters in southern Russia, Prigozhin demanded the surrender of Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, in order to “restore justice.”
Prigozhin had accused both men of gross incompetence and corruption and had long advocated for their removal.
Gerasimov has not been seen in public since the mutiny, and there has been no official statement from the Kremlin regarding any personnel changes in relation to the incident.
The Kremlin stated that decisions regarding personnel changes were solely within the purview of President Vladimir Putin and were unlikely to have been part of any deal.
Zvezda reported that during his visit, Shoigu was briefed on the establishment of new reserve forces for the Zapad military grouping and emphasized the “high efficiency” of the Russian army in detecting and neutralizing enemy military equipment and personnel concentrations in tactical areas.
Shoigu also tasked the troops with conducting active reconnaissance to uncover the enemy’s plans and disrupt the movements of Ukrainian forces far behind the front lines.
Zvezda further noted that Shoigu paid particular attention to the “comprehensive support of troops involved in the Special Military Operation and the creation of conditions for the safe accommodation of personnel.”
Following a deal brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, the mutineers led by Prigozhin initially advanced towards Moscow, aiming to remove what they described as Russia’s corrupt and inept military leadership. However, they abruptly returned to a Russia-held area in eastern Ukraine after reaching an agreement with the Kremlin.
The publicly disclosed terms of the deal included dropping criminal charges against the mutineers in exchange for their return to camps, with Prigozhin reportedly relocating to Belarus.
