The Kremlin has insisted that Russia’s defence minister – who had not been seen for 13 days – has “a lot on his plate”, amid reports of whistleblower claims of the growing possibility of a coup against Vladimir Putin as the Ukraine war drags on.
Sergei Shoigu, a close ally of the Russian president, was a prominent voice during the early days of the invasion of Russia’s sovereign neighbour, echoing Mr Putin’s claims of acting to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” Ukraine.
