Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, 20 February 2024: Alexander Kazakov/AP
Five months after being ousted as Russia’s defence minister and appointed to the role of security council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, once considered Vladimir Putin’s favourite, has not regained the Russian leader’s trust. His position is becoming increasingly vulnerable, The Moscow Times reports, citing five sources in the Russian government.
Shoigu was sacked amid corruption scandals in the Defence Ministry, with criminal cases being opened against senior officials and generals who worked under him. Investigations are ongoing, and the influential Vorobyov clan, linked to Shoigu, has also come under attack. The son of Shoigu’s long-time friend, Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, has faced serious corruption charges.
In addition, some of Vorobyov’s relatives allegedly received foreign passports and spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the independent organisation IStories.
The decline in Shoigu’s influence has also become noticeable in the Russian media. Once a regular presence on state channels, he has now all but disappeared from the airwaves. His only interview since his appointment was with a little-known journalist, which only underscores his current situation.
Shoigu’s relationship with former Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev is also strained: Patrushev even refused to vacate his office in the Kremlin for Shoigu, according to the Agency news agency.
According to journalist Andrey Karaulov, Shoigu wrote a letter of resignation, leaving a date for the Kremlin to decide, demonstrating his dissatisfaction and readiness to leave if the situation does not change.
Sources close to Shoigu and Putin report the president’s dissatisfaction. The failure of the Kyiv in Four Days plan, the chaos in the army, the lack of quality military communications, and the scandal with Yevgeny Prigozhin have all caused Putin’s deep dislike for his former associate.
“Putin does not forgive humiliation, but he is not in a hurry to draw conclusions,” one source said.
Although Shoigu remains in office, his position is unstable, and it is unclear how this story will end. Political analyst Alexander Kinev notes that the scandals in the Moscow region and Tsalikov’s appointment to the Federation Council may indicate deeper problems accumulating behind the scenes.
