Russian defence minister Shoigu shown inspecting troops
2023.07.08 03:44
© Reuters. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu chairs a meeting with the leadership of the Armed Forces in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released July 3, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
(This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine)
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has inspected troops and overseen training of newly formed units made up of contracted servicemen, his ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry released video footage on its Telegram channel showing Shoigu in khaki military fatigues inspecting soldiers at a shooting range, in his first public appearance with troops since last month’s aborted mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group.
The ministry did not say when the video was filmed or when the inspection took place.
Shoigu said on Monday that the mutiny did not affect Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Wagner fighters took over the southern Russian city of Rostov and advanced towards Moscow on June 24 as their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded the dismissal of Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.
The crisis was defused when Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko brokered a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin.
“The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation personally checked the training of contract servicemen in combat operations in various conditions, including urban combat,” the defence ministry said on Saturday.
