Putin Has Reportedly ‘Sidelined’ Russia’s Defense Minister (Who Has Very Little Military Experience) For Botching The Ukraine Invasion

As the invasion of Ukraine continues to be an embarrassment for Vladimir Putin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reportedly been sidelined for not delivering the crushing victory that Putin expected despite Kremlin propaganda to the contrary. Of course, the blame for the Ukraine mess lies with Putin, but the Russian president will never admit that’s his fault for appointing defense minister with no military experience.

The sidelining of Shoigu arrives via an intelligence update from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence that claims the Russian leader was never truly respected by Putin or military forces because his prior experience involved working in construction.

Russian officers and soldiers with firsthand experience of the war probably routinely ridicule Shoigu for his ineffectual and out-of-touch leadership as Russian progress has stalled. Shoigu has likely long struggled to overcome his reputation as lacking substantive military experience, as he spent most of his career in the construction sector and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

With Shoigu out of the loop, operational commanders are reporting directly to Putin, according to the briefing.

Despite conventional wisdom assuming that Russia would easily seize control of Ukraine, Putin’s military turned out to be in severe disarray. After being repelled by Ukraine forces, Russian conscripted troops have been less than eager to die for the failing mission. In fact, recent reports claim that soldiers are literally shooting themselves to get off the front line and go home with compensation pay.

While he’ll never admit it publicly, Russian scholars believe Putin knows that the Ukraine invasion was a mistake. However, his desire to be seen as a Peter the Great-esque figure will most likely keep him locked into the disastrous endeavor for far too long.

(Via Newsweek)