Report: Russian Defense Minister Shoigu Had Heart Attack

The Russian government says Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu is too busy with actions in Ukraine to speak to the media and that he is not having serious health issues, but other reports say he had a heart attack after a confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

This week, Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press secretary, told reporters that Shoigu, who hadn't been seen in public for several days, doesn't have time to speak with the media as he has a "lot of worries," with the "special military operation" that is underway, reports Russian state media outlet Tass.

"Of course, now is not quite the time for media activity, this is quite understandable," he said about reports about Shoigu's health. 

However, Anton Gerashchenko, the adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, claimed in a Facebook post Saturday that Shoigu suffered a heart attack.

Shoigu has not been seen publicly between March 11 to March 24, when he appeared briefly in a video released by Putin. 

"Shoigu's heart attack happened after a tough accusation by Putin for a complete failure of the invasion of Ukraine," Gerashchenko wrote. "Now he is undergoing rehabilitation at the Main Military Clinical Hospital named after N.N. Burdenko."

Meanwhile, Shoigu appeared in a video on Saturday where he was shown chairing a meeting calling on the Russian Finance Ministry to allow for more cash for the war, reports The Daily Mail.

There wasn't proof of when the broadcast was recorded, however, but it did refer to the "special military operation" in Ukraine, which is how Russia describes the war. 

There are also claims being made that security has been strengthened around the 66-year-old general in lieu of assassination threats, but other reports say Shoigu had been complaining about his health. 

According to Telegram channel General SVR, citing inside sources, when Putin was informed that Shoigu had "complained of pain and burning in the region of his heart," he called Shoigu a "malingerer" and refused medical assistance for him.

The post also said that "only after the president was informed that Shoigu had lost consciousness did Putin allow physicians to be admitted."

The Daily Mail further reported there were claims that Shoigu tried to resign on March 10, the day before he was last seen publicly, but that Putin refused the resignation. 

Putin has been said to be taking his military advice from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, rather than Shoigu, the publication said, noting there have been rumors that others have been trying to resign, including Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank; FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Meanwhile, CNN, quoting Tass, reported that Shoigu met with Russia's Ministry of Finance Saturday to talk about maintaining military supplies, with the defense minister speaking about "robotic complexes, information support, and electronic warfare equipment, and of course, logistics, as it has always been the case."

"With the challenges we are facing today, we are moving according to plan in implementing the state defense procurement contract," Shoigu reportedly said. "Considering the fact that the government funding for this year is 15% higher than for the previous year, we must of course take a look at what needs particular attention when fulfilling the state defense procurement contract.”

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