Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday praised his army’s “loyalty” during an armed uprising last month by the Wagner military group that targeted the country’s senior military leadership.
“The plans primarily failed because the personnel of the armed forces showed loyalty to their oath and military duty,” he said in his first public comments since the failed mutiny.
He also said Russian military personnel serving in Ukraine had “courageously and selflessly continued to handle the tasks assigned to them.”
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was a firebrand critic of Shoigu prior to his attempt to oust Shoigu and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
State television broadcasted images of the Russain defense minister inspecting troops in Ukraine just days after the armed mutiny late last month, footage observers said was likely filmed prior to the mutiny.
He later appeared in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, without making any public statements.
Several senior Russian officials have not appeared in public since the insurrection, including Gerasimov and general Sergei Surovikin, fuelling rumours of their possible ouster.
