Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was fired by President Vladimir Putin after failing to deliver a quick and decisive victory in the Ukraine war, according to British intelligence. Shoigu said that “the Kremlin’s military operation is being conducted according to a defined plan, and all objectives will be achieved”
British Ministry of Defence reported yesterday (second) that reports in the independent Russian media indicate that the army commanders came to brief Putin directly on the progress of the war which has stopped and is now in its seventh month. The report also claims that “Russian officers and soldiers with first-hand experience in the war apparently routinely mock Shoigu for his ineffective and out-of-touch leadership.”
British intelligence published that Shoigu, who worked for years in the construction industry before entering politics, “will likely struggle for a long time to overcome his reputation as lacking substantial military experience.” Shoigu, 67, is the longest-serving minister in the Russian government, having served in the Emergencies Ministry from 1991 to 2012, when he was tapped by Putin to head the Defense Ministry.
Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu ‘sidelined’ by Putin: report https://t.co/fUlhwSSoba pic.twitter.com/yKx8PB4eHL
— New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2022
In this role, Shoigu led Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. He has long been considered Putin’s closest ally and confidant, and a member of the strongman’s tight inner circle. On the six-month anniversary of the war last week, which coincided with Ukraine’s independence day, Vygo claimed that Russia had deliberately slowed the pace of its military campaign to minimize civilian casualties.
In a speech last week, Shoigu said that “the Kremlin’s military operation is being conducted according to a defined plan, and all objectives will be achieved.” But the head of Ukrainian defense intelligence, Kirylo Budanov, claimed that the real reason for the slowdown was the “moral and physical fatigue” of the invading troops from the fighting, which according to the latest Western estimates claimed more than 47,000 Russian casualties, along with unimaginable numbers of military equipment.