The Kremlin set aside questions about the defense minister’s lack of publicity

The Kremlin on Thursday said it had briefed Russian Defense Minister Vladimir Putin on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, wiping out questions about Sergei Shoigu’s absence from public view for two weeks.

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At a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Mr. “Shoigu reported on the progress of the special military operation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian agencies.

Earlier, the latter, in a briefing with the press, dismissed media speculation about the health of the minister, who had not been seen in public for about two weeks.

“The defense minister has a lot to do right now (…) This is not really the time to do media activity,” he said.

In the evening, the Russian Defense Ministry announced a telephone conversation between Sergei Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Suren Popikian.

The two men discussed “the current situation in the region and the areas where Russian peacekeepers are conducting their operations in Nagorni Karabakh,” the ministry said.

Sergei Shoigu is a familiar face on television screens in general. He and Vladimir Putin regularly travel to the Siberian taiga, drive all-terrain vehicles, drink tea or pick mushrooms.

Listen to a summary of the latest events in Ukraine with Guillaume Lavoie and Mario Dumont on QUB Radio: