Ukraine’s deputy interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, said in a statement on Facebook this evening that Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, has been absent from public events since mid-March because he suffered a heart attack.
The claim, which has not been independently verified, adds to the mystery surrounding Shoigu, who had not been seen in public for 12 days until he appeared on Russians’ television screens for just a few seconds on Thursday, sitting in the corner box of a teleconference with Vladimir Putin.
Prior to that TV appearance, rumours were spreading that Shoigu may have been punished...
Russian defence minister resurfaces on TV – but for just a few seconds
Kremlin rolls out Sergei Shoigu for brief airing in response to media rumblings over his whereabouts
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.
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By Thursday, [Shoigu's absence] was being brought up at a daily press call held by the Kremlin.
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Sensing a problem, the Kremlin promptly returned Shoigu to television. 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. And Shoigu appeared for just seconds, as his camera was briefly unblocked to reveal him sitting in front of several Russian flags at an undisclosed location. His arm moved, proving it wasn’t just a picture of the defence minister returned to television to dispel rumours about his demise.
And then, just as quickly, he was gone again.
Russia is so weird.