Russian defence chief keeps job despite Ukraine routs thanks to Putin
LONDON - His army has made three humiliating retreats in Ukraine in the past year and nearly 200,000 of his men have been killed or wounded according to US officials, but Russia’s defence minister still has a job, thanks to President Vladimir Putin.
“Several people in senior positions, all of whose job performance leaves a lot to be desired, including Mr Shoigu, benefit from this under-appreciated sentimental side of personality,” he said. Ms Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik analysis firm and a well-connected Kremlin watcher, said Mr Putin preferred to work with people he knew well despite flaws they might have.
A source close to the Russian authorities who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media cited an old Russian saying to provide another reason why they thought it was unlikely Mr Shoigu would be replaced anytime soon. “Putin himself works with the generals, not just with one or two figures, and sometimes gets involved in the situation at a lower level too,” she said.
However, Russia’s invasion is widely regarded to have shone an unflattering light on Moscow’s military, which was beaten back from Kyiv, routed in north-east Ukraine, then forced to surrender the southern city of Kherson.
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