"Shoigu" and "Shoygu" redirect here. For other uses, seeShoigu (name).
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Shoigu was born on 21 May 1955 inChadan,Tuvan Autonomous Oblast, to an ethnicTuvan father, newspaper editorKuzhuget Shoigu[c] (1921–2010) and a Ukrainian-born Russian mother, Alexandra Yakovlevna Shoigu (1924–2011). Alexandra Shoigu grew up in theDonbas town ofKadiivka and had traumatizing experiences while under detention of theGerman occupation forces duringWorld War II.[6] Later in her career she became a member of the Tuva Regional Council of People's Deputies. Kuzhuget Shoigu rose to secretary of theTuvan Regional Committee of theCommunist Party,[7] becoming a major figure in the Communist power structure of the republic.[8]
Shoigu worked in construction projects nationwide for the next decade, advancing from low levels to become an executive. In 1988, Shoigu became a minor functionary in theAbakan branch of theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union, and then in theKomsomol for a few years. In 1990, Shoigu moved to Moscow fromSiberia, and was appointed deputy chairman of the State Architecture and Construction Committee of the Russian Federation,[11] assisted by his father's connections. Future presidentBoris Yeltsin had held a similar position in the Construction Committee, and had also come from a civil engineering and party background, so Shoigu gained Yeltsin's trust.[8]
Minister of Emergency Situations (1991–2012)
Shoigu as Minister of Emergency Situations, 2003Shoigu andVladimir Putin in April 2008
In 1991, Yeltsin appointed him head of the newly established Russian Rescue Corps, responsible for the rescue and disaster response system. The Rescue Corps replaced the previous Soviet civil defense system and soon absorbed the 20,000-strong militarizedCivil Defense Troops of the Ministry of Defense, with Shoigu being appointed chairman of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations, and Disaster Response. Civil Defense remained a quasi-military organization in continuation of Soviet practice and Shoigu was politically involved, such as an unsuccessful attempt to evacuate Russian-backed Afghan presidentMohammad Najibullah in 1992 and the intended distribution of weapons from the Civil Defense stocks to Yeltsin supporters during theOctober 1993 coup. In keeping with the militarized nature of Russian civil defense, Shoigu received the rank of major general in 1993,[12] and was promoted swiftly to lieutenant general in 1995,[13] colonel general in 1998,[14] and toarmy general, in practice the highest Russian military rank, in 2003.[15] The committee was renamed theMinistry of Emergency Situations (MChS) in 1994, making Shoigu a government minister. He became popular because of his hands-on management style and high visibility during emergency situations, such as floods, earthquakes andacts of terrorism.[8] Under Shoigu, the responsibilities of the ministry were expanded to take over theRussian State Fire Service in 2002, making theMChS Russia's third-largest force structure.[16]
In 1999 he became one of the leaders of the Russian pro-government partyUnity, created by the Kremlin in opposition to the anti-Yeltsin elites of theFatherland – All Russia alliance. Unity allowed for the rise ofVladimir Putin to president and in 2001 was combined into the rulingUnited Russia party, although Shoigu was the only delegate to vote against the merger.[8] In 1999, Shoigu was awarded Russia's most prestigious state award:Hero of the Russian Federation.[17]
With over twenty years of service as Minister of Emergency Situations, Shoigu established a close relationship withVladimir Putin, and was rewarded by being appointedGovernor of Moscow Oblast in 2012,[19] taking office on 11 May of that year.[20]
On 6 November 2012, Shoigu was appointedMinister of Defence by Putin, succeedingAnatoly Serdyukov, who had implemented sweeping reforms of the Russian Armed Forces in response to performance in theRusso-Georgian War. According to expert Sergey Smirnov, the so called "Petersburg group" ofsiloviki (Sergei Ivanov,Sergey Chemezov andViktor Ivanov) had wanted one of its associates to succeed Serdyukov, but Putin was reluctant to strengthen the clan and opted for the neutral Shoigu.[21] As defence minister, Shoigu on multiple occasions accompanied Putin during weekend breaks that the pair would spend at undisclosed locations in the Siberian countryside.[22]
Serdyukov was unpopular with senior military leaders and seen by them as a civilian with no military background, something that Shoigu attempted to address by symbolically tying himself to the military through wearing an army general's uniform, reviving historical units dissolved under the reforms, and reinstating officials dismissed by Serdyukov. Furthermore, Shoigu appealed for support for reform within the army rather than taking a confrontational stance, appointed deputy ministers of defense from the military, and removed Serdyukov-appointed civilian tax service officials from the top echelons of the Ministry of Defense.[23]
As defence minister, Shoigu continued aspects of Serdyukov's attempts at modernizing the Russian Armed Forces through reform. This included the creation of theSpecial Operations Forces Command to facilitate rapid intervention in conflicts within the perceived Russian sphere of influence and counterterrorism efforts. Serdyukov's goals of increasing the share of the Russian Armed Forces made up of professional contract servicemen rather than conscripts continued under Shoigu. However, the demographic challenge of a decreasing pool of military-aged and -eligible males forced him to increase national conscription quotas in early 2013, including even North Caucasians perceived as a security risk by authorities such as Chechens. This followed on from Serdyukov's initiatives of reducing available draft exemptions.[23]
In November 2012, Shoigu decided to resurrect the tradition ofSuvorov andNakhimov cadets participating in the9 May parade.[24]
In July 2013 Shoigu ordered commanders to begin every morning in the barracks with a rendition of the Russian anthem, to compile an obligatory military-patriotic book reading list and to take responsibility for the preparation of demobilization albums (a type of memento scrapbook, which in Russian military tradition is given to conscripts upon completion of their service).[25] In August 2013 he ordered all Defense Ministry civilian workers, other staff and management employees to wear uniforms.[26]
In February 2014, Shoigu said Russia was planning to sign agreements withVietnam,Cuba,Venezuela,Nicaragua, theSeychelles,Singapore, and several other countries either to house permanent military bases and/or to house airplane refueling stations in those countries.[27] Over the next year, only an agreement with Vietnam was effectively signed.[28]
Activities related to treaties and military exercises
From early 2013 the Shoigu ministry made use of snap exercises as a means to ensure combat readiness of theEastern Military District, theWestern Military District, and theCentral Military District. Already in 2015 western observers mentioned theVienna Document while they spoke of "the deteriorating European security environment.. producing an action-reaction cycle involving Russia,NATO and other European countries, all seeking to demonstrate the readiness of their armed forces."[29]
In October 2016 Shoigu hosted 56 representatives from 31 differentOSCE nations, with Shoigu stating that the observers "had a chance to see with their own eyes that Russia had fully implemented its obligations on ensuring confidence and security in Europe". The observers were also shown new weapons deployed to the Russian Aerospace Force,Ground andAirborne Forces. The previous visit of the OSCE observers took place in 2011.[31]
In July 2014, Ukraine opened a criminal case against Shoigu. He was accused of helping to form "illegal military groups" inEastern Ukrainewho at the time fought against theUkrainian army.[32] The Ukrainian authorities alleged that Shoigu coordinated all ofDPR Supreme CommanderIgor Girkin's actions, supplying him and "other terrorist leaders" with "the most destructive weapons" since May and instructing him directly, with Putin's approval.[33]
In July 2016 Shoigu said that he had "deployed more air defense systems in the southwest [of Russia]" and "also deployed a 'self-sufficient' contingent of troops inCrimea", adding "Since 2013 ... we have formed four divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments. They include two missile brigades armed withIskander missile complexes, which has allowed to boost fire power to destroy the potential adversary."[34]
On 16 December 2015, speaking to the members of theState Duma behind closed doors, Shoigu mentioned the possibility of the Russian forces "reaching theEuphrates" in Syria.[36]
In June 2016,Russia Today, while reporting minister Shoigu's visit toHmeymim air base, showedRBK-500 ZAB-2.5SM incendiary cluster bombs being loaded onto Russian airplanes. After this information was discovered to be inconsistent with official Russian statements, the video was removed. It was later reinstated. An editorial note below the video made no mention of the weapon, saying a frame in the video has caused "concern for personnel safety" because of a pilot's close-up. "Upon re-evaluation it was deemed that the frame did not pose any risks; it had since been restored and the video is up in its original cut", the RT statement said.[37][38]
On 11 December 2017, days after declaring Syria had been "completely liberated" fromISIL and with thecampaign liberating the western bank of the Euphrates in its final days, Putin visited the Russian base in Syria, where he announced that he had ordered the partial withdrawal of the forces deployed to Syria.[39][40][41] Several hours later, Shoigu said the troops had already begun to return.[42]
On 26 December 2017, Shoigu said that Russia had set about "forming a permanent grouping" at theTartus naval facility and the Hmeymim airbase, after Putin approved their structure and personnel strength.[43][44] On the same day, the upper chamber of parliament approved the ratification of an agreement between Russia and Syria on expanding the Tartus naval facility, which envisages turning it into a full-fledged naval base.[45]
On 17 September 2018, duringmultiple missile strikes by IsraeliF-16 jets at targets in western Syria, Russia'sIl-20ELINT reconnaissance plane returning to Khmeimim Air Base, with 15 Russian servicemen on board, was inadvertently downed by a SyrianS-200 surface-to-air missile. Russia's defence minister the following day blamed Israel's military for the accident[46][47] and re-affirmed its stance in a minute-by-minute report presented on 23 September.[48][49] Early on 20 September, Russia's government-run news agency reported Russia had announced multiple areas of eastern Mediterranean ″near Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus" shut for air and sea traffic until 26 September, due to the Russian Navy's drills in the area.[50] Following the shoot down incident, Shoigu on 24 September said that within two weeks, the Syrian army would receiveS-300 air-defense missile systems to strengthen Syria's combat air defence capabilities; a series of other military measures were announced such as radio-electronic jamming of "satellite navigation, onboard radars and communications systems used by military aircraft attacking targets in Syrian territory", in the areas of the Mediterranean off the Syrian coast.[51][52][53]
Shoigu meets U.S. National Security AdvisorJohn R. Bolton in Moscow in October 2018.
Shoigu said in August 2021 that Russia had tested 320 new weapons over the course of its campaign in Syria.[54]
In an August 2021 "Solovyov Live" YouTube channel interview, Shoigu said referring to his tenure in the Ministry that "The requirements for fulfilling the defense procurement plan have risen dramatically. Over the past nine years, we have received 15,500 weapon systems for the ground forces. In 1999–2002, we had gotten 10 or 19 aircraft at best, that is, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft all together. That's why now that we receive 140–150 aircraft annually, this is quite a different story."[54]
On 29 August 2021, Shoigu was recorded as saying that "Russia doesn't consider Ukraine as threat", while he expressed the hope that the situation in Ukraine would ultimately change and the "nationalist mayhem" would be stopped. Shoigu said that the Ukrainians "are not just our neighbors, we are a single people".[58][unreliable source?]
Putin meeting with Shoigu in April 2022, after Russia's defeat at theBattle of KyivShoigu in May 2022
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scalemilitary invasion of Ukraine.[62] Shoigu said the purpose of the invasion "is to protect the Russian Federation from the military threat posed by Western countries, who are trying to use the Ukrainian people in the fight against our country".[63] The sources say the decision to invade Ukraine was made by Putin and a small group ofwar hawks in Putin's inner circle, including Sergei Shoigu and Putin's national security adviserNikolai Patrushev.[64] In a 11 March video conference with Putin, Shoigu claimed that "everything is going to plan".[65]
On 24 April, Putin decided to broadcast with English subtitles an 11-minute longSiege of Mariupol situation report meeting with Shoigu.[66]
On 13 May, U.S. Secretary of DefenseLloyd Austin initiated a telephone conversation with Shoigu, the first call since 18 February. The call lasted about an hour with Austin urging an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.[67][68]
Also on 13 May, formerFSB officer and formerDPR Supreme CommanderIgor Girkin harshly criticized Shoigu, accusing him of "criminal negligence" in conducting the invasion.[69]
On 16 August, Shoigu said that Russia does not need to usenuclear weapons in Ukraine, as "its main purpose is to deter a nuclear attack. Its use is limited to extraordinary circumstances."[70]
At the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security in August 2022, Shoigu hosted 35 defense ministers fromAsia,Africa andLatin America.[71] He describedSouth Africa as a "friendly state" and that South Africa's support has helped counterNATO pressure on Russia.[72]
Shoigu and Putin attended theVostok-2022 [ru] military exercise in the Russian Far East. Beyond Russian troops, the exercises also included military forces fromChina,India,Mongolia and severalpost-Soviet states, among others.[73]
Afterlarge Ukrainiancounteroffensives in September 2022, Igor Girkin said that Shoigu should be executed byfiring squad.[74] The Russia-installed governor of Ukraine's Kherson regionKirill Stremousov said in a video shared on social media that "Many are saying that the Defense Minister – who allowed things to come to this – should simply shoot himself like a [real] officer."[75]
On 21 September 2022, Shoigu said in a televised speech that Russia was not so much at war with Ukraine and the Ukrainian army as with the "collective West" andNATO.[76]
In September 2022, Shoigu claimed that 5,397 Russian soldiers had been killed in the war in Ukraine.[77][78] He said that the2022 Russian mobilization is being carried out to control "already liberated territories" in Ukraine. According to Shoigu, it is planned to mobilize 300,000 reservists.[79] Shoigu said the mobilized people could only be sent to combat zones after "training and combat coordination".[80] However, some of the mobilized Russian men were killed less than two weeks after being drafted, meaning conscripted civilians are being sent to a combat zone without basic military training.[81] On 28 October, Shoigu said that 82,000 mobilized reservists had already been deployed in the combat zone.[82]
Streets ofKyiv following Russian rocket strikes on 10 October 2022. Ukraine has identified more than 600 suspectedwar criminals from Russia, including Shoigu.[83]
On 12 October 2022, the independent Russian media projectiStories reported that more than 90,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, seriously wounded or gone missing in Ukraine, citing sources close to the Kremlin.[77]
On 23 October 2022, Shoigu said, without providing evidence, that Ukraine could escalate the war with adirty bomb—or an explosive that containsradioactive waste material. The UK, US and French governments rejected what they called "Russia's transparently false allegations" against Ukraine,[84] adding: "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation."[85]
On 1 November 2022, Shoigu admitted that the Russian military wasdestroying Ukrainian energy facilities.[86] On 6 December 2022, he said that Russian forces are "inflicting massive strikes" on Ukraine.[87]
On 21 December 2022, Shoigu said that the war in Ukraine would continue in 2023 "until the tasks are completed".[88] He declared that victory was "inevitable" and claimed that Russian troops were fighting what he called "neo-Nazism and terrorism".[89]
On 18 April 2023, Shoigu met with Chinese Defence MinisterLi Shangfu in Moscow. Shoigu said that their countries' military cooperation was a "stabilising" force in the world.[90] They discussed expanding military cooperation.[91]
Shoigu at theSCO defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, 28 April 2023
Shoigu inspectsT-90M tanks ready for combat in Ukraine, June 2023.
On 6 June 2023, Shoigu said that Ukrainian "offensive attempts were thwarted, the enemy was stopped, Russian soldiers and officers showed courage and heroism in the battles", while claiming Ukraine had suffered "significant and incomparable casualties".[93] On 20 June 2023, Shoigu stated that theUkrainian counteroffensive began on June 4, and since then Ukraine had launched 263 attacks on Russian positions, all of which have been unsuccessful, and that Russian forces had lost no territory or settlements. The statement, which is directly contradictory to publicly available information, has been assessed by the ISW as "even-keeled" and an adaption to Russian command strategy following the chaos in the Russian information space during theKharkiv andKherson counteroffensives of 2022.[94]
Shoigu with North Korean leaderKim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea, 27 July 2023
In July 2023, the UK Ministry of Defense reported that Russia had suffered an average of around 400 casualties per day for 17 months.[95] As of July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense was still keeping secret the actualnumber of casualties.[96]
On 23 April 2024, Shoigu’s deputyTimur Ivanov was arrested for taking bribes.[100]
Falling out with Wagner
On 5 May 2023,Wagner chiefYevgeny Prigozhin blamed Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov for "tens of thousands" of Wagnercasualties, saying "Shoigu, Gerasimov, where ... is the ammunition? They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices."[101]
In a video released on 23 June 2023 at the start of theWagner Group rebellion, Prigozhin said thatRussian government justifications for the Russian invasion of Ukraine were based on lies.[102] He accused the Russian Defense Ministry under Shoigu of "trying to deceive society and the president and tell us how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO".[103] According to Prigozhin, "Shoigu killed thousands of the most combat-ready Russian soldiers in the first days of the war. The mentally ill scumbags decided 'It's okay, we'll throw in a few thousand more Russian men as 'cannon fodder'. 'They'll die under artillery fire, but we'll get what we want'."[104]
Despite being the target of Prigozhin's ire, Shoigu made no public appearances during the incident, leading Russian media to speculate that he had lost Putin's confidence and that his removal had been a condition of the agreement that ended the rebellion on 24 June. However, on 26 June, the Russian Ministry of Defence published a video allegedly showing Shoigu meeting Russian officers in Ukraine.[105]
On 25 June 2024, theInternational Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Shoigu on charges of alleged war crimes for missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.[109][110]
On 4 and 17 June 2025, Shoigu visitedPyongyang to meet withKim Jong-un, amid calls in Russian state media for increased North Korean military support in the war in Ukraine.[113]
On 23 February 2022, theEuropean Union considered Shoigu responsible for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the stability or security in Ukraine. Therefore the European Union added Shoigu to the list of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies set out in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.[114]
Shoigu with his daughterKseniya Shoygu [ru] and Vladimir Putin on 30 July 2022
Sergei Shoigu was born to Kuzhuget Sereevich Shoigu (1921–2010) and Alexandra Yakovlevna Shoigu (née Kudryavtseva, 1924–2011).[120] His father was born Shoigu Seree oglu Kuzhuget. His name order was changed because of a passport error, according to the Tuva official line. More likely, he Russified the name from Turkicoglu 'son of...'.[citation needed] Kuzhuget was an editor of a regional newspaper. He later worked in the Communist Party and for the Soviet authorities. He was the secretary of theTuva Party Committee. He retired with the rank of first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of theTuva ASSR.[120]
Shoigu's father led the Tuvan State Archives. He spent six years as the editor of the newspaperPravda. He wrote the novelsTime and People,Feather of the Black Vulture (2001),Tannu Tuva: the Country of Lakes and Blue Rivers (2004).[120]
Shoigu's mother Alexandra was born in the village of Yakovlev in theOryol Oblast. From there, shortly before theGreat Patriotic War, her family moved toKadiivka in theLuhansk Oblast, Ukraine. Azootechnician, Alexandra was an Honored Worker of Agriculture of theRepublic of Tuva. From 1979 she was the head of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic. She was repeatedly elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet (parliament) of theTuva ASSR.[121] Sergei's great uncle, Seren Kuzhuget, was the commander of theTuvan People's Revolutionary Army from 1929 to 1938.[122]
Shoigu married Irina Alexandrovna Shoigu (née Antipina). She is president of the business tourism company Expo-EM. They have two daughters,Yulia[125] (1977) and Kseniya (1991).[124] According toAlexei Navalny, Kseniya is suspected to be a figurehead of her father in the ownership of a palace in the outskirts of Moscow, valued at about £12 million. In 2012, the estate was transferred to the formal ownership of Yelena Antipina.[126] Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Kseniya posted a video on social media of her daughter and herself wearing the colours of theUkrainian flag.[127] According to theUS Department of the Treasury, Kseniya Shoigu "made tens of millions of dollars on state construction projects and has business interests directly tied to the Ministry of Defence".[128] In May 2023, Wagner chiefYevgeny Prigozhin condemned theluxurious lifestyle of the children of Russia's top officials and in particular singled out Shoigu's son-in-lawAlexey Stolyarov [ru] for not joining the Russian army.[128] In August 2023, it was announced that Shoigu's daughter and her husband Stolyarov had separated, allegedly at the instigation of Shoigu and Putin.[129]
Shoigu is alleged to have an affair with Elena Shebunova from the early 2000s until 2017.[130] According to similar sources, allegedly Shoigu and Shebunova have three children: Danila (2001), Dasha (2008), and Stepan (2011).[131][130] Danila is pursuing a music career under the stage-name Sheba (or Sheba Singer).[132]
Shoigu collects Indian, Chinese, and Japanese swords and daggers. He enjoysbard songs and plays the guitar. He does water color paintings and graphics. He enjoys carpentry, and has shown some of his work toPutin.[134][135][136]
Religion
Shoigu stated in 2008 that he was baptized in theRussian Orthodox Church at the age of five, rebutting rumors that he was a practitioner ofshamanism or Buddhism like many Tuvans.[137]
In 2023, the largest 12-storyBuddhist monastery in Russia, Thubten Shedrub Ling, opened inKyzyl, built on the initiative of Sergei Shoigu with financial support from the foundation named after him.[138]
^In this name that followsEast Slavic naming customs, thepatronymic is Kuzhugetovich and thefamily name is Shoigu. The correct name should beSergei Shoiguevich Kuzhuget as the Soviet official swapped the name of his father, Shoigu Kuzhuget to Kuzhuget Shoigu.[2]
^BornShoigu Kuzhuget, the Soviet officials swapped the name and surname.[2]
^abKlein, Margarete; Pester, Kristian (January 2014)."Russia's Armed Forces on Modernisation Course"(PDF).SWP Comments. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (German Institute for International and Security Affairs).
Italics and (*) indicate that a person was convicted by the ICC and that the conviction remains valid; a name in (parentheses) indicates that charges were dropped or a conviction was overturned; † indicates a person confirmed by the ICC as deceased before or during trial; (x) after a name indicates that the case was closed by the ICC because of a national-level trial of the accused
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