"Heart attack not of natural causes" suffered by Russian Defence Minister Soygou According to a Daily Mail report citing the testimony of a Russian-Israeli businessman, Soygou, a close ally of Putin since 2012, is in intensive care - Twenty Russian generals have been arrested
A severe heart attack, but not caused by natural causes, is said to have been suffered by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to the Daily Mail citing testimony from a Russian-Israeli businessman. Shoigu, who was Putin's right-hand man and head of the Russian military for a decade, was one of the central figures during the early weeks of the war in Ukraine. However, he has recently disappeared from regular Kremlin briefings.
In late March, there were suspicions of tension in the relationship between the Russian president and the defense minister because of the very slow progress of the war. According to U.S. intelligence, the relationship broke down when Vladimir Putin was informed of the extent of Russian casualties in Ukraine.
Shoigu, now 66, is now believed to be in intensive care. According to businessman Leonid Nevzlin, he suffered a heart attack that "could not have occurred from natural causes," suggesting that Putin's former close ally may have been the victim of an assassination attempt at the behest of his boss.
From Putin ally to key critic
Shoigu was last seen yesterday in a teleconference with Putin and other ministers on Arctic development. However, at no point did he speak. There is speculation that the Kremlin, following the defence minister's departure from the spotlight, is using previously recorded footage of him.
Nevzlin, a former media mogul and top oil executive, is one of the Russian businessmen forced to flee the country in 2003 when he was targeted by the Kremlin because Putin decided to take over the Yukos oil company. Sentenced in absentia to life in 2008, he announced last month that he was renouncing his Russian passport, declaring that "everything Putin touches dies."
Citing sources in Moscow, Nevzlin said today: "Shoigu is out of the game and could be crippled if he survives. Rumors say he suffered a heart attack, which could be due to no physical causes."
[/P]20 Russian generals arrested
The businessman claimed that 20 Russian generals have been arrested and charged with embezzling up to $10 billion that was to be given for the war in Ukraine.
According to Nevzlin, all the executives at headquarters had been arrested and had funds intended to support Ukraine's "Russian liberators" since 2014, after the annexation of Crimea and the start of the conflict in Donbass.
Rumours of a rift between Putin and the military
If the businessman's claims prove true, then suspicions that there is a major rift between Putin and senior members of the Russian military and security services would be confirmed.
In late March, U.S. intelligence claimed that Putin, who had been isolated in recent months, had been kept in the dark about the Russian invasion by his advisers, Russian secret strategic services and top military generals.
"We would agree with the conclusion that Putin has not been fully briefed by his Defense Department on every step over the last month," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby had said.
Putin's rift with Soygou
Soygou was appointed Russia's defense minister in 2012 and has been one of Putin's closest allies over the past decade. The two even regularly vacationed together and are thought to have had a close personal friendship outside of the positions they held.
However, as head of the Russian military, Soygou is thought to be possibly the first person to feel the Russian president's wrath when he was informed of developments on the Ukrainian front.
According to Ukraine's armed forces, some 20.000 Russian soldiers have been killed since February 24, when the war began, and according to even the most conservative Western estimates, the number of casualties exceeds 10,000.
Nevzlin also claimed that the Kremlin has already started criminal proceedings against former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who was one of the high-ranking officials who criticized the war in Ukraine. A few days after his statement he resigned as head of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology as he was accused of being a traitor. According to the Russian-Israeli businessman, he is expected to testify against his colleagues and friends and, citing Russian intelligence sources, if he does not make a settlement with the investigating authorities he will be transferred to a detention centre.
Before fleeing to Israel to escape Kremlin persecution in 2003, Leonid Nevzlin was one of Russia's leading businessmen who played a major role in Russia's transition from communism to a market economy after the dissolution of the USSR. In 2003 and 2004 he was on Forbes' list of the richest people.
After being sentenced to life in prison in 2008, Nevzlin became one of the Kremlin's biggest critics.
Source: Proto Thema
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