Skip to content
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Jan.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Jan. 13, 2022. (Source: Presidential Executive Office of Russia/Wikimedia Commons)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first comment on the Wagner Group mutiny, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on July 3.

The minister highlighted the military's loyalty in the face of "provocations" and "destabilization attempts."

"The provocation did not affect the activities of military units," RIA Novosti cited Shoigu.

"The soldiers courageously and selflessly continued to carry out the tasks assigned to them."

This is Shoigu's first public comment on the armed uprising by the Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23-24, in which the military contractors occupied Rostov and marched toward the capital of Moscow.

The mercenaries met only limited resistance in their "March of Justice," while Ukraine's military reported little changes in Russian defensive capabilities on the front lines.

After the insurrection ended in an undisclosed treaty between Prigozhin and the Kremlin, the mercenary boss justified his rebellion with Shoigu's attempts at dissolving the Wagner group.

There has been a long-standing feud between Prigozhin and the minister, marked by disagreements on jurisdiction and ammunition supplies, and even an armed clash between the mercenaries and regular troops. According to the Wall Street Journal, the rebellious oligarch was planning to capture Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the uprising.

The minister's disappearance from the public eye during the rebellion sparked speculations that Prigozhin negotiated Shogiu's replacement in return for laying down arms.

Possibly to address these speculations, a video was published on June 26 showing Shoigu meeting the troops. The sound in the video was muted, however, and it was unclear where or when the footage was recorded.

Breaking: International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia’s Shoigu, Gerasimov
The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on June 25 that it has issued arrest warrants for ex Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, now secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, for war crimes against Ukraine. The charges…

News Feed

10:47 AM  (Updated: )

Ukraine hits 2 oil depots in Russia overnight.

Ukrainian forces attacked oil depots in Russia's Tula and Kaluga oblasts overnight on Jan. 18, according to the General Staff and a Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
6:20 AM  (Updated: )

3 killed, 3 injured following Russia's attack on Kyiv.

Russia launched an attack on Kyiv early in the morning on Jan. 18, killing three people and injuring three others, Kyiv city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported.
5:04 PM

How will Russia’s war end?

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump promised to end the Ukraine-Russia war during his campaign. As inauguration approaches on Jan. 20, the Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell lays out the four scenarios that could see an end to the war in Ukraine — for better or worse.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.