Sergei Shoigu may soon lose his position as the Minister of Defense of Russia, Forbes reports, citing sources close to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The arrest of Shoigu’s close associate, deputy minister Timur Ivanov, has become the “beginning of the end”.
Sources claim that the resignation of the defense minister will not be long in coming.
“Forbes” source in the Ministry of Defense called Ivanov “Shoig’s man” and linked his detention with Shoig’s possible departure from the ministry.
In the Ministry of Defense, Ivanov oversaw one of the most profitable areas – military construction and army supply. On April 23, he was detained on the charge of taking bribes in a particularly large amount.
Russian blogger Anatoly Nesmiyan (El Murid) commented on the situation. He did not rule out Shoigu’s resignation, clarifying that the “cleansing” of the people closest to him is an inevitable stage in the evolution of any dictator.
“A normal dictator, at the end of his reign, removes from himself all the courtiers of the first generation and remains alone. But it is they who are subject to coups or betrayals,” he explained.
