Russian defence minister makes 1st public appearance since aborted mercenary revolt
CBC
Uncertainty still swirled in Russia on Monday about the fate of rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army, the impact on the war in Ukraine and even the political future of President Vladimir Putin.
In Ukraine, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since the Prigozhin-led uprising, inspecting troops there on Monday in a video released by his ministry.
The Defence Ministry video of Shoigu came as Russian media speculated that he and other military leaders have lost Putin's confidence and could be replaced.
A feud between Wagner Group leader Prigozhin and Russia's military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into a mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and march seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.
The mutiny marked the biggest challenge to Putin in more than 20 years of rule.
Putin held calls Monday with the leaders of Iran and Qatar, the Kremlin said, and addressed a forum of youth engineers in a pre-recorded video message that contained no mention of the mutiny.
The Kremlin said it had made a deal that Prigozhin will move to Belarus and receive an amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday, although a popular Russian news channel on Telegram reported he was seen at a hotel in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
The RIA Novosti state news agency cited unidentified sources in the Prosecutor General's office as saying the criminal case against Prigozhin hasn't been closed, despite earlier Kremlin statements. The Interfax news agency carried a similar report.
Should the case continue, Prigozhin's presence in Belarus — a staunch Kremlin ally — would offer little protection against arrest and extradition. It was unclear what resources Prigozhin has to draw on, and how much of his substantial wealth he can access.
Police searching his St. Petersburg office on the day of the rebellion found 4 billion rubles ($62.3 million Cdn) in trucks outside the building, according to Russian media reports confirmed by the Wagner boss. He claimed the money was intended to pay soldiers' families.
Andrei Gurulev, a retired general and currently a lawmaker who had a rift with the mercenary leader, said Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, a former military officer who runs Wagner, deserve "a bullet in the head."
"I firmly believe that traitors in wartime must be executed," he said.
Shoigu was shown in a helicopter and then meeting with officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine. The video was widely broadcast on Russian media, including state-controlled television. It was unclear when it was shot.
General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov, also a main target of Prigozhin's ire, has not appeared in public.
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