Although Russia has known in recent weeks some tactical successes in the war on Ukrainian soil, it is close to completing the occupation of the Donbas region, which includes the Donetsk and Lugansk districts. However, these achievements are far from satisfying the Kremlin and most of the citizens of the Russian Federation, who see the war (or the special military operation) as a continuing failure. Even in the TV studios in Russia, the patriotic and optimistic atmosphere of the early days of the fighting has been replaced by a gloomy mood and an atmosphere of beheading is well felt among senior Moscow officials.
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The Russian failure in Ukraine has many fathers, but the figure most identified with the military defeat is Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This skilled politician has been cruising for 30 years between different presidents and ideologies – but this time he may have fallen into a corner that will be very difficult to get out of.
Did not act to rehabilitate the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sergei Shoigu (Photo: Reuters)
Shoigu, 67, a native of the Siberian Republic of Tuva, has never had a military background. In his youth he was a construction worker and later trained as a construction engineer. With the collapse of the Soviet Union he took advantage of the connections of his father, who was a prominent activist in the Communist Party, to screw around in the gang of Boris Yeltsin who seized power. In the early 1990s, Shoigu was appointed minister responsible for dealing with disasters and special situations, and promoted democratic ideas supported by the then president. In 2000, when power in the Kremlin passed into the hands of Vladimir Putin, Shoigu was one of the few who survived the changes and naturally adopted the ideas of the new boss in the Kremlin, which were in many cases opposite to those of his predecessor.
The medals on Shoigo’s chest were awarded to him, among other things, for “achievements” that would embarrass many Jobniks.
In 2012 came the defining moment in Shoigo’s career – the then defense minister was fired on suspicion of stealing a lot of money from his office with the help of his mistress. Putin needed a man of trust to rehabilitate the army and sent Shoigu there. But instead of starting to pick up the pieces, Shoigu mainly engaged in self-promotion and continued to allow various generals and service providers to loot the Ministry of Defense budget. In addition, Shoigu set up a spokesperson system for one hundred employees who glorified his name in the media. But none of the 100 employees stopped Shoigu from making a major image mistake – wearing a uniform and wearing dozens of medals. Although civil defense ministers are a widespread phenomenon in the world, none of them seem to have personally commanded the conquest of Berlin in 1945. And this is exactly how Shivo seems to have appeared in many events.
An investigation conducted by the organization of the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, revealed that the medals on Shoigo’s chest were awarded to him, among other things, for “achievements” that would embarrass many Jobniks. Thus, among other things, on Shoigu’s chest can be found a medal for strengthening military ties between Russia and Honduras, a medal for attending events in honor of the city of Kazan and a special medal for contributing to Russia’s last census.
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With such a basket of achievements, Russia came out under the command of Shoigu and his generals into the failed war in Ukraine. In recent months he has disappeared from the public eye for long periods of time, stuttering in his TV appearances and mostly portraying himself as a symbol of a corrupt and failing army. In the good district where he was born he is still a huge star, and in the capital of the republic a museum bearing his name was established with his appointment as Minister of Defense. However, it is very possible that very soon Vigo will regret the day he wore a uniform and turned from a man who erected residential buildings into one who destroys them with a wave of his hand on Ukrainian soil.