Top Russian military figures Sergey Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov suddenly vanish from public eye

Questions have been raised on the whereabouts on a number of top Russian officials midway through the nation’s biggest conflict in decades.

Analysts have begun raising questions on the whereabouts on a number of top Russian officials as the conflict in Ukraine approaches the end of its first month.

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, one of Vladimir Putin’s closest confidants, reportedly hasn’t been seen in public for the last 11 days.

The head of Russia’s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has also gone missing from the public eye.

The last news update on his Defense Ministry profile were dated March 11, where he handed out awards to Russian soldiers who had “distinguished themselves in the special military operation”.

Russian journalist Dmitry Treschanin also noted that Russian state-run news agency RIA also haven’t reported on Shoigu since March 11. He questioned whether Shoigu was in Chernobaevka, located outside of Kherson, the first major city to be occupied by Russian forces on March 2.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has not been seen publicly in 11 days.

Shoigu has been described as a highly active figure in Russian media, with public relations often being referred to as his ‘main weapon’.

Official Russian sources told news outlet Agentstvo Media Shoigu has been experiencing “heart problems”.

According to the Kremlin’s website, the defense minister attended a high priority meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high ranking members of the National Security Council.

The Kremlin is yet to publish any photos or footage of the meeting.

Shoigu has been described as a highly active figure in Russian media with public relations often being referred to as his “main weapon”, making his sudden disappearance during Russia’s largest conflict since the Cold War all the more curious.

According to Agentstvo, which carried out an investigation on Shoigu in 2021, theDefense Ministry employs “bigtime generals and private contractors whose services cost a lot of money” whose main job is to work on the image of the military leader.

Moscow Times reporter Jake Cordell tweeted on Wednesday about “lots of Telegram chatter today about the whereabouts of Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu,” noting that Shoigu has not been seen with Putin since a meeting in Moscow on Feb. 27, just three days after beginning the invasion of Ukraine.

Before March 11, Shoigu appeared in public every few days. Sources told @wwwagentsmedia that he’s having heart problems. Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia’s General Staff, is also missing from the public eye. https://t.co/UQK07wSnzW

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 23, 2022

The development comes as NATO prepares for a major summit to discuss further options on the Ukraine conflict.

Analysts have already pointed out the potential for the conflict to spill over into something far greater than a territorial squabble, meaning the clock is ticking for officials in Kyiv and Moscow to reach a peace agreement before Putin is cornered beyond reason.

Earlier today, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg accused the Russian President of making a “big mistake” by invading Ukraine, as leaders gathered to discuss overhauling the alliance’s eastern defences.

“President Putin has made a big mistake and that is to launch a war against an independent sovereign nation. He has underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and their armed forces,” Mr Stoltenberg said ahead of the start of a summit in Brussels.

Mr Stoltenberg said the leaders of the US-led military alliance would “address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term”, starting with agreeing new deployments to eastern members Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

It comes as the UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a new non-binding resolution which, if adopted by a majority of member states, will “demand” that Russia stop the war in Ukraine “immediately”.

The vote comes after 141 countries approved an earlier resolution on March 2 that similarly demands Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine.