Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been sidelined by President Vladimir Putin, while British intelligence says the minister is being “ridiculed” by the Russian leader and his soldiers for his “ineffective” leadership.
These updates from the intelligence services come at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “stagnant”.
“Recent reports from independent Russian media suggest that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is being sidelined within the Russian leadership due to problems Russia is facing in the war against Ukraine, with operational commanders reporting directly to President Putin. War,” the British Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter, as quoted by the Guardian.
“As the progress of the Russian invasion has stalled, Russian officers and soldiers with first-hand experience of war will daily sneer at Shoigu’s incompetent and uncommunicative leadership,” writes the English ministry. Having spent most of his career in the construction industry and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Shoigu struggled for a long time to overcome his lack of significant military experience.
Hailing from Russia’s remote Tuva region, Shoigu was a longtime minister in the Russian government. He became the Kremlin’s emergency minister after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was one of those responsible for overseeing the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and was chosen by President Putin to occupy the defense portfolio in 2012.
Shoigu said Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine had deliberately scaled back to minimize civilian casualties, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine reached its six-month mark, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day.
“All measures are being taken to avoid accidents. Of course it reduces attacks. But we are doing it deliberately,” the defense minister said at a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers in Uzbekistan.
The news coincides with the arrival of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, which arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine this Monday, as Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations over explosions nearby, the agency’s head said. Fear of nuclear holocaust.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday that Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian ‘drone’ over the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
“Drone hit by Russian military fire lands on roof of Special Unit 1 [da central] without damage and serious injuries,” said a military spokesman quoted by Spanish agency EFE.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom accused the Russian military of carrying out attacks on a nuclear installation and the town of Enorgodar, where the plant is located, on Sunday.
The same source said 10 people, including four employees, were injured at the nuclear power plant in the attacks.
