Russian defence minister makes public appearance since revolt
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
WASHINGTON, June 26 (AP): Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since a mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine Monday in a video aimed at projecting a sense of order after a weekend of chaos.
Shoigu is one of three powerful Russian military leaders whose diverging interests erupted into a mutiny that saw armed rebels seize a Russian city and march seemingly unopposed on the capital. Thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries headed from Ukraine deep into Russia, before turning around Saturday after less than 24 hours.
He is the first to appear publicly since then, in video released by the Defense Ministry that was widely shown on Russian media, including state-controlled television. It was unclear when it was filmed.
Neither Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin nor General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov - like Shoigu, a target of Prigozhin's ire - has been seen or heard in public since then. Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't made any public appearances either.