Video of Putin Turning His Back on Defense Minister Viewed 500k Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to give his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, the cold shoulder in an awkward moment that went viral.
On Monday, the pair went to Moscow's Vishnevsky military hospital to award medals to soldiers who had been injured in the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The apparent slight towards Shoigu seemed to illustrate overall Russian frustrations with the country's military and its performances, or lack thereof, in Ukraine.
In front of Kremlin pool cameras, they marched into the hospital and while Shoigu positioned himself to the side of the seated troops, the president went to shake hands with each of the soldiers.
You don't have to be a body language expert to understand what Putin currently thinks about his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu... 😅 pic.twitter.com/ZRfJaJDE1X — Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) June 12, 2023
With the troops sporting bandages and an array of injuries, Putin made his way around the group. Only one soldier stood to greet his commander-in-chief, while another could only proffer his remaining left hand.
The niceties completed, Putin returned to the side of Shoigu, who moved towards the president to say something.
However, after seeing Shoigu, Putin quickly turned to his left, leaving his defense minister awkwardly reacting to suddenly being confronted with his leader's back.
A clip of the interaction was set to the song "Caught Out There", by American singer Kelis whose refrain, "I hate you so much right now" appeared to fit the moment.
"You don't have to be a body language expert to understand what Putin currently thinks about his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu," tweeted Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst Jimmy Rushton next to the video which as of Tuesday morning, had received more than 513,000 views.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (4thL) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (4thR) at the Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital, Moscow on June 12, 2023. A clip of an interaction between Shoigu and Putin at the hospital has gone viral. VLADIMIR ASTAPKOVICH/Getty Images
When Putin became president in 2000, Shoigu was one of the only figures in his inner circle who did not hail from the president's home city of St. Petersburg or served in Russia's security services.
Shoigu was born in a small town near the Mongolian border. His mother was Ukrainian, while his father was Tuvan, an ethnic group indigenous to Siberia.
A prominent figure in Russian politics after the collapse of the USSR, Shoigu became emergency situations minister in the 1990s, a position he held until 2012. He was then appointed defense minister, although despite the array of medals he wears, he had no military experience.
But he has been close to Putin, giving the dog-loving president a black Labrador puppy called Konni Leod Paulgrave, or "Konni" for short, in 2000. Putin and Shoigu have been frequently pictured together spending holidays in the Russian wilderness with images released to the national media of them hunting and fishing.
While it is not clear if the pair has fallen out, Shoigu has been heavily criticized by Russian military bloggers and others for his management of the war in Ukraine.
On Monday, Putin described each soldier in the hospital as a "hero", a status that applied to everyone who takes part in what he calls the special military operation, "without exception," he added, according to the RIA Novosti state-owned news agency.
The Russian leader also said that once recovered, the wounded soldiers should continue their military service and form the future command staff of the Armed Forces. "People like you, without any doubt, are needed by the country, the Motherland, by the Armed Forces," he said, according to The Moscow Times.
Source: Newsweek
