Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is rumored to be suffering from health concerns as he has been missing in recent days, being absent despite having a leading role in Moscow's war on Ukraine.
Speculations about the official's whereabouts grew concerning as the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment on media reports about the issue. The rumors began after Shoigu, who is known to be a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, kept a low profile during the invasion of Ukraine.
Missing Russian Defense Minister
On Wednesday, independent Russian outlet Agentstvo said that Shoigu was in poor health, citing anonymous sources in the defense ministry. But on Thursday, Peskov avoided answering questions about the minister's condition. He said that Shoigu had many concerns at the moment, saying it was not the right time for media activity.
When questioned regarding Agentstvo's previous report about Shoigu's health, Peskov said that questions should be directed to the Ministry of Defense. On Mar. 18, the defense minister appeared in a Channel One broadcast that the outlet said was captured on that day. However, Russian journalists speculated that the event shown was from Mar. 11, as per CNN.
Peskov added that Shoigu attended a recent meeting where the defense minister briefed President Putin on the state of the invasion of Ukraine. However, no video recording of the event was released.
Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: NATO Exec Warns Chemical Weapons Would "Change the Nature of the Conflict"
Rumors about Shoigu's health concerns spread after longtime Putin adviser Anatoly Chubais abruptly resigned and left the country earlier this week. The former official's decision was allegedly made in protest of the Kremlin's aggression in Ukraine.
According to The Daily Beast, the Kremlin spokesperson attempted to downplay Chubais' departure in comments that he made on Thursday to Russian media. Peskov claimed that the adviser was not a "direct employee of the presidential administration."
Russia-Ukraine War
The stalled movements in Ukraine have caused Putin to be on edge, who has lashed out against the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin. It was seen in a televised meeting over the fate of the Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine.
Russian journalists have since filed reports on an investigation in the FSB directorate that is responsible for foreign intelligence. This includes Ukraine and the arrest of a senior official from Russia's national guard.
A Russian foreign ministry official said that the invasion of Ukraine was going according to plan but it was unclear if any of those events were related to the situation. Many residents, however, believe that the war has not been going well and is completely off the rails. Some expect that men such as Shoigu, who have prominent positions and roles in the invasion, could shoulder the blame.
Amid the speculations, the video recording of Shoigu briefing Putin was released, which still received doubts because the sound was turned off. Furthermore, the defense minister only appeared for a few seconds. Shoigu was seen sitting in front of several Russian flags at an undisclosed location and showed his arm moving to prove that it was not just a picture of the official, The Guardian reported.
Related Article:
