How Sergei Shoigu went from Putin's wilderness bestie to the scapegoat for Russia's failures in Ukraine

Sophia AnkelNov 7, 2022, 22:07 IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shows mushrooms to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during his vacation in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia, in August 2017.Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russia's Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, is a close ally and friend of Vladimir Putin.
He had a steady ascent through Russia's elite, and was considered a possible Putin successor.

This is Sergei Shoigu, Russian President Vladimir Putin's right-hand man.

Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu.Contributor/Getty Images

As Russia's Minister of Defense, he is responsible for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hold a meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow on February 14, 2022.Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

But the stark failures of the Russian army there have undermined his decades-long ascent to the top rungs of power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) seen during the Navy Day Parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July, 31 2022.Contributor/Getty Images

Shoigu was born in 1955 in the remote town of Chadan in Siberia. The Soviet Union was a world power and the Cold War just beginning.

A man outside the former central temple for Buddhists of Tuva, near the settlement of Chadan, in Russia's Tuva region.Ilya Naymushin/Reuters

Unlike other people in Putin's inner circle, Shoigu was not educated in St. Petersburg or Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accompanied by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (second from left), Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (third from left), and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (third from right), waits for a meeting in Sochi, Russia on February 14, 2019.Sergei Chirikov/AFP via Getty Images

Despite being Russia's Defense Minister, Shoigu never served in the military.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during military exercises in the Pacific Ocean on July 16, 2013.Alexei Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images

He wears awards on his uniform that look like combat medals, despite his lack of battlefield experience.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes soldiers and participants during a military parade in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2015.Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

After working in various roles for construction companies in Siberia, Shoigu moved to Moscow in 1990 to lead the state's committee for construction and architecture.

Sergei Shoigu explains the nature of the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station in Cheryomushky, Russia on August 19, 2009.Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

In 1991, while he was there, the Soviet Union collapsed, plunging Russia into a period of instability and unrest.

The front page of The New York Times on December 26, 1991.National Security Archive

Out of the chaos, Russia gained its first president — Boris Yeltsin, a personal friend of Shoigu. He was soon promoted to lead the newly-established Russian Rescue Corps.

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin shakes hands with Sergei Shoigu during an awards ceremony on October 27, 1999.Reuters

Out of the chaos, Russia gained its first president — Boris Yeltsin, a personal friend of Shoigu. He was soon promoted to lead the newly-established Russian Rescue Corps.

In his role, Shoigu would be the first to appear at any major or minor disaster sites, presenting himself as a hero.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and then-Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu visit the site of a Polish aircraft crash near Smolensk airport, on April 10, 2010.Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images

When Putin rose to power in 1999, the two became very close.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, Russia, on September 21, 2009.Alexey Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Images

Shoigu and Putin would often be photographed together. They took regular vacations in the Siberian woods, where they would go fishing or hiking.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) accompanied by Sergei Shoigu gestures as he fishes in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia, on August 3, 2017.Alexey Nikolsky/SPutnik/AFP via Getty Images

As the president of the Russian Geographical Society, Shoigu would also indulge Putin's interest in the outdoors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a vacation in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia, on August 26, 2018.Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images

Shoigu likes to play hockey. He also enjoys carpentry and has shown some of his work to Putin.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a hockey game in Moscow, Russia, on April 20, 2018.Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

At one point in his career, Shoigu was touted to be the next prime minister.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu rest during a holiday in Siberia on March 21, 2021.Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Shoigu is said to have a lavish lifestyle and owns a large mansion outside of Moscow estimated to be worth around $18 million.

Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 28, 2017.Kirill Kudryavtsev/Poo/AFP via Getty Images

Shoigu was behind the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was also one of the architects of Russia's intervention in Syria one year later.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a military parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 25, 2021.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

One day after Russia's invasion, Shoigu was personally sanctioned by the West.

Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu (C) speaks as he virtually attends the Summit of Collective Security Treaty Organisation on May 24, 2022.Russian Foreign Ministry Press / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Several days before Putin's full-scale invasion in February, Shoigu met with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and denied Russia was planning to attack Ukraine.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov in Moscow, Russia, on February 27, 2022.ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

But when Russia did invade on February 24, it did not pan out the way the Kremlin had planned.

An abandoned Russian vehicle in a retaken area near Kharkiv, Ukraine, on September 30, 2022.Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP via Getty Images

The failures in Ukraine have led to claims of a rift between Shoigu and Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on October 28, 2022.Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Other prominent figures in the Kremlin have openly attacked Shoigu, including Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

Yevgeniy Prigozhin at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2016.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Kirill Stremousov, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician who was installed as Putin's puppet leader in the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson, recently suggested Shoigu should consider killing himself over Russia's recent military losses.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-backed Kherson administration, is pictured in his office on July 20, 2022.STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

Kirill Stremousov, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician who was installed as Putin's puppet leader in the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson, recently suggested Shoigu should consider killing himself over Russia's recent military losses.

"Shoigu is willing to basically be Putin's bulletproof vest," said Galeotti, the Russia analyst.

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a military parade in Pskov, Russia, on March 1, 2020.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Shoigu has remained quiet despite the growing criticism...

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Sochi, Russia, on December 4, 2019.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

... and Putin has shown no signs that he may fire him.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu walks in the Taiga in Siberia, on September 26, 2021.Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Shoigu was last seen at a meeting with Putin, which was broadcast on state television on October 28.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R).Maxim Shemetov via Reuters

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How Sergei Shoigu went from Putin's wilderness bestie to the scapegoat for Russia's failures in Ukraine

This is Sergei Shoigu, Russian President Vladimir Putin's right-hand man.

As Russia's Minister of Defense, he is responsible for its invasion of Ukraine.

But the stark failures of the Russian army there have undermined his decades-long ascent to the top rungs of power.

Shoigu was born in 1955 in the remote town of Chadan in Siberia. The Soviet Union was a world power and the Cold War just beginning.

Unlike other people in Putin's inner circle, Shoigu was not educated in St. Petersburg or Moscow.

Despite being Russia's Defense Minister, Shoigu never served in the military.

He wears awards on his uniform that look like combat medals, despite his lack of battlefield experience.

After working in various roles for construction companies in Siberia, Shoigu moved to Moscow in 1990 to lead the state's committee for construction and architecture.

In 1991, while he was there, the Soviet Union collapsed, plunging Russia into a period of instability and unrest.

Out of the chaos, Russia gained its first president — Boris Yeltsin, a personal friend of Shoigu. He was soon promoted to lead the newly-established Russian Rescue Corps.

In his role, Shoigu would be the first to appear at any major or minor disaster sites, presenting himself as a hero.

When Putin rose to power in 1999, the two became very close.

Shoigu and Putin would often be photographed together. They took regular vacations in the Siberian woods, where they would go fishing or hiking.

As the president of the Russian Geographical Society, Shoigu would also indulge Putin's interest in the outdoors.

Shoigu likes to play hockey. He also enjoys carpentry and has shown some of his work to Putin.

At one point in his career, Shoigu was touted to be the next prime minister.

Shoigu is said to have a lavish lifestyle and owns a large mansion outside of Moscow estimated to be worth around $18 million.

Shoigu was behind the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was also one of the architects of Russia's intervention in Syria one year later.

One day after Russia's invasion, Shoigu was personally sanctioned by the West.

Several days before Putin's full-scale invasion in February, Shoigu met with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and denied Russia was planning to attack Ukraine.

But when Russia did invade on February 24, it did not pan out the way the Kremlin had planned.

The failures in Ukraine have led to claims of a rift between Shoigu and Putin.

Other prominent figures in the Kremlin have openly attacked Shoigu, including Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

Kirill Stremousov, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician who was installed as Putin's puppet leader in the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson, recently suggested Shoigu should consider killing himself over Russia's recent military losses.

"Shoigu is willing to basically be Putin's bulletproof vest," said Galeotti, the Russia analyst.

Shoigu has remained quiet despite the growing criticism...

... and Putin has shown no signs that he may fire him.

Shoigu was last seen at a meeting with Putin, which was broadcast on state television on October 28.