Russian defence minister makes first public appearance since mercenary revolt as uncertainty swirls
CTV
After Russia's most serious political crisis in decades, uncertainty swirled Monday about the fate of the former Putin ally who led a brief armed rebellion, his Wagner mercenary group, and the two military chiefs with whom he has clashed over the conduct of the war in Ukraine.
After Russia's most serious political crisis in decades, uncertainty swirled Monday about the fate of the former Putin ally who led a brief armed rebellion, his Wagner mercenary group, and the two military chiefs with whom he has clashed over the conduct of the war in Ukraine.
Also unclear were the impact on the 16-month-old invasion -- and the future of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faced the most serious challenge to his authority in more than 20 years of rule.
A feud between Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia's top military brass amid the fighting in Ukraine erupted into a mutiny that saw fighters from the mercenary group leave the front in Ukraine to seize a south Russian city and march seemingly unopposed on the capital, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.
The Kremlin said it had made a deal that the mercenary chief will move to Belarus and receive an amnesty, along with his soldiers. Yet on Monday, Russian media reported that a criminal probe against Prigozhin continued, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since the rebellion that demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine Monday in a video aimed at projecting a sense of order, as Russian media speculated that he and other top military leaders have lost Putin's confidence and could be replaced.
Shoigu was shown in video released by the Defense Ministry flying in a helicopter and then attending a meeting with military officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine. The video was widely shown on Russian media, including state-controlled television. It was unclear when it was filmed.
General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov, also a main target of Prigozhin's ire, has not appeared in public.
