Wednesday, I posted on the rather strange absence of the two men at the top of Russia’s military hierarchy (Correlation or Causation? The Ukraine Invasion Has Stalled and Putin’s Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff Have Vanished). Sergei Shoigu (defense minister) and Valery Gerasimov (chief of the general staff), both vanished on March 11. It seems strange, given Russia’s current war. Gerasimov would be expected to attend one of thousands of Ukrainian funerals for Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. In 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally chose Shoigu to serve as Defense Minister. He is a known toady and catchfart for Putin–they vacation together–so his absence was much more noticeable as he’s Putin’s frequent traveling companion. It all seemed most odd particularly as there was a spate of high-level arrests going on the past weeks (Top General in Putin’s Personal Army Is Arrested by FSB; Trouble in Paradise: Putin Arrests Senior FSB Officers Over Ukraine Fiasco). I suggested earlier this day that Shoigu, Gerasimov might not have talked to Lloyd Austin (Defense Secretary) and Mark Milley (Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman). The Ukraine Invasion Has Stalled and Putin’s Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff Have Vanished).
On Thursday, Shoigu appeared and solved the mystery.
For just a few seconds on Thursday, Sergei Shoigu was back on Russians’ television screens, sitting in the corner box of a teleconference with Vladimir Putin.
Twelve days had passed since the last public appearance of Russian defense minister Valery Gerasimov, who was arguably most directly responsible for Ukraine’s woes. Nor had the chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, Valery Gerasimov.
Rumours began to circulate that Russia may have punished them for the failed invasion. It did not capture any key Ukrainian cities, such as Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Russians had already watched Putin browbeat and humiliate the head of the country’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, during a televised meeting over the fate of the Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine.
Journalists have since filed reports on an investigation in the FSB directorate responsible for foreign intelligence, including on Ukraine, and on the arrest of a senior official from Russia’s national guard.
The absence was such an item of comment that it resulted in Putin’s Mini-Me, Dmitry Peskov, being asked questions about Shoigu’s whereabouts at Thursday’s propaganda dump.
“The defence minister has a lot to deal with right now, as you can understand,” Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said during a briefing, denying Shoigu was ill. “A special military operation is ongoing. Certainly, now isn’t exactly the right time for media activities. This is quite understandable.”
The Kremlin organized a conference with Shoigu to calm the situation.
Shoigu was immediately returned to television by the Kremlin after it detected a problem. The clip released on Thursday was unusual: a security council teleconference with Vladimir Putin, where Shoigu was said to have reported “progress in the special military operation and efforts being made by the military to provide humanitarian aid, ensure security, and restore vital infrastructure on the liberated territories”.
But you wouldn’t know that because the sound was turned off. Shoigu was only visible for a few seconds. His camera was temporarily unblocked and he was seated in front of several Russian flags at an undisclosed place. His arm moved, proving it wasn’t just a picture of the defence minister returned to television to dispel rumours about his demise.
He was then gone, again and again.
Even though Putin was assured by the Kremlin that Ukraine would be easy, the Kremlin seems to think this will solve the Shoigu issue. Below is a video from the conference call.
An attentive anon noticed something amiss with Shoigu on the RosMedia edited video. In the beginning, it seemed that the camera was pointing at the monitor rather than at Shoigu. #PutinWarCrimes pic.twitter.com/IOp534Hmpz
— Anonymous Operations (@AnonOpsSE) March 24, 2022
Shoigu’s video quality is noted by many observers. He is located in the lower left corner of the screen. The camera records existing video rather than recording it live on the monitor. There is good reason. Shoigu doesn’t speak. One arm moves briefly.
Ukrainian media noted that the “first 4 seconds” and the “last 4 seconds” of the video were the SAME frames.”https://t.co/sc6JP5hwel
— 🇺🇦 (@idiNakhuyPutin) March 24, 2022
Some others also pointed out that Shoigu’s latest appearance appears identical to his previous appearance on TV.
It is up to you to decide what you think. Shoigu might be still alive, surrounded by Russian hookers. However, it was not an easy video conference to clear up rumors about his disappearance. He had poor video connections and was also muted.
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