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Sergei Shoigu - allegedly on Saturday morning
Photo: IMAGO/Vadim Savitskii / IMAGO/SNA
Sergei Shoigu opens the meeting with "Dear Colleagues," and the officers listen to his words in the wood-panelled room.
The meeting is said to have taken place this Saturday morning.
Ria Novosti released a video to prove it.
The Russian defense minister has spoken publicly for the first time in more than two weeks.
In the video, originally from his ministry, Shoigu talks about budget issues and arms deliveries.
However, it remains unclear whether the video was really made on Saturday morning.
The date and time are not mentioned in the video itself.
Shoigu was last seen on Thursday in a video recording of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Security Council, but he did not speak in it.
Before that, Shoigu had not been seen in public since March 11, fueling speculation as to his whereabouts.
Shoigu has so far been considered one of Putin's closest confidants, and the two have even spent vacations together in the past.
The President's Office had stated that Shoigu was giving lower priority to public appearances because of his duties in the ongoing military operation.
In the video, which has now been circulated on social media, Shoigu said he had discussed questions about the military budget and defense contracts with the Ministry of Finance.
“We continue the advance delivery of weapons and equipment through loans.
Priorities are long-range, high-precision weapons, aircraft equipment and keeping the strategic nuclear forces operational,” said the minister, who is leading the invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special operation.”
A number of high-ranking army officers attended the meeting, including Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who was also not recently seen in public.
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