The Russian Defense Ministry has released images of Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu suggesting he is still in office. The images are said to have been made in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine. But whether they were made before or after the Wagner Rebellion is unclear.
Shoygu aboard a military helicopter bound for Ukraine, Shoygu inspecting a Russian command post at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Shoygu chairing a meeting: The Russian Defense Ministry released photos and footage of Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu today. They would represent his first public appearance since Wagner’s mercenary army revolt last weekend.
With the images, Russia probably wants to indicate that Shoygu is still in office. His departure and that of Valeri Gerasimov, general and commander of Russian troops in Ukraine, was the demand of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the reason why his mercenary army took Rostov-on-Don last weekend and moved in the column to Moscow.
Prigozhin has been at odds with the top of the Russian army for some time. He thinks they are leading the war in Ukraine incorrectly and that too many Russians are dying because of them. But his attempt to oust Shoigu and Gerasimov from power seems – at first sight – to have failed.
The question is whether the images of Shoigu were made today and, therefore, after the Wagner revolt. Authoritarian regimes often try to fool public opinion by selling previously recorded images as new.
Because in the meantime, there are rumours that an investigation into Shoygu has been opened in Russia for embezzling military funds and that he has been placed under house arrest. That could be a possible stepping stone to his eventual dismissal. Investigations into fraud and other crimes are a well-known practice in Russia to push someone aside, but independent evidence to support these rumours is not yet available.
The fate of Prigozhin himself also remains unclear. Contrary to what the Kremlin said yesterday, he would still be under investigation.
After the agreement to withdraw and move to Belarus, Prigozhin would no longer be prosecuted for rebellion. But the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported this morning that the Russian secret service FSB has not yet withdrawn the charges, which the Russian state press agencies subsequently reported.
Progozhin has not been heard from since he left Rostov-on-Don yesterday. He would now reside in Belarus.
Meanwhile, public life in Russia appears to be recovering from this weekend’s upheaval. In Moscow, the mayor has lifted the anti-terror regime. This is also the case in the city of Voronezh and the province of the same name.
At the same time, Russia’s National Anti-Terror Committee says that the situation in Moscow province is “stable” again. It says there is no longer any danger to “life, health and property” of citizens.