Russian defence minister appears on video for first time since rebellion

Moscow — Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was shown speaking to officers in a video released by his ministry on Monday, the first time he had appeared in public since a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group demanding his dismissal.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had seized control of Russia’s military headquarters in southern Russia and sent forces towards Moscow in a bid to settle scores with President Vladimir Putin’s defence minister and with Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff.

Shoigu, in the clip shown on state television, was shown flying in a plane with a colleague and hearing reports at a command post run by Russia’s Zapad (West) military grouping. There was no sound on the video and it was not immediately clear where or when the visit had taken place.

Putin also appeared in a video posted on the Kremlin’s website greeting participants of an industrial forum, though it was also not immediately clear when that had been recorded.

He made a national address to the Russian people on Saturday condemning the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries as a “stab in the back” and vowing to crush it.

He has not commented publicly on the subsequent deal, announced late on Saturday, that appeared to defuse the crisis and avert possible bloodshed by allowing the Wagner fighters to return to base and their leader, Prigozhin, to move to Belarus.

Speculation quickly spread on Russian social media channels that Prigozhin might have secured concessions, notably changes in the military leadership.

Gerasimov, who is in direct command of Russia’s campaign and rarely appears in public, has not been seen since the mutiny.

But Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser who remains close to the authorities, said the defence ministry video was “a signal to everyone that Shoigu is in office and will probably remain defence minister now”. He added: “Putin will not do anything under pressure from a mutineer.”

Moreover, the Kommersant newspaper and Russia’s three main news agencies reported that the criminal case against Prigozhin remains open and is still being pursued. It cited an unidentified source at the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying there had not been enough time to close the case, while Tass news agency cited a source close to the prosecutor’s office as saying “the investigation is ongoing”.

Prigozhin’s “march for justice”, aimed at toppling a military elite whom he cast as treasonous and corrupt, has raised fears of turmoil in Russia while undermining Putin’s reputation as unchallenged leader.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Putin vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolutions of 1917 and then civil war, and to punish those responsible.

The apparent ease with which Prigozhin was able to strike a deal with the Kremlin a few hours later, having captured the southern city of Rostov and sent an armed convoy towards Moscow, raised questions about the extent of Putin’s authority.

But on Monday, ministers were rallying round. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a televised government meeting that Russia had faced “a challenge to its stability”, and must remain united behind Putin, before a succession of deputies reported how stability had been maintained throughout.

The whereabouts of Prigozhin, who was seen leaving central Rostov on Saturday night, are not clear. He has insisted that he is a patriot not a traitor, and that he was not attempting a coup.

Last month, he said Russia could face a revolution similar to those of 1917 and lose the war in Ukraine unless the Russian elite got serious about it.

Reuters