Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. AP
Minsk: The Russian defence minister on Monday was filmed limping and concealing his hand from view following a recent trip where he inspected Russian troops in Ukraine.
Sergei Shoigu, who is considered one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, was seen walking across a hall in the Presidential Palace in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. In the video, he was clearly seen walking with a limp in one of his legs and shielding his hand deliberately and hiding in his pocket.
The defence ministry of Russia had posted a video of Shoigu taking a helicopter to fly off to the frontline in Ukraine just a day earlier. The older video showed Shoigu with no visible injuries or issues in his legs or arms.
The video of Shoigu limping was shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. He wrote, “Shoigu arrived in Minsk limping and hiding his right hand. Slightly wounded?”
Putin’s visit to Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Belarus to meet President Alexander Lukashenko. The meeting has triggered fears across the world that Russia might push Belarus to join the war with Ukraine.
In February, Belarus served as a launchpad for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country provided Russian troops a gate to enter Ukraine from different borders into the suburbs of Kyiv.
According to a report by The Telegraph, an independent journalist from Belarus reported that military equipment is being moved from western Russia to Belarus with 80 personnel trucks.
Prior to the meeting, the Kremlin dismissed any plans of Russia to force Minsk to play a more active role in the Ukraine war. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that such reports were “groundless” and “stupid”.
With inputs from agencies.
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