On 6 November 2012, Shoigu was appointed
Minister of Defence by Putin, succeeding
Anatoly Serdyukov, who had implemented sweeping reforms of the Russian Armed Forces in response to performance in the
Russo-Georgian War. According to expert Sergey Smirnov, the so called "Petersburg group" of
siloviki (
Sergei Ivanov,
Sergey Chemezov and
Viktor Ivanov) had wanted one of its associates to succeed Serdyukov, but Putin was reluctant to strengthen the clan and opted for the neutral Shoigu. As defence minister, Shoigu on multiple occasions accompanied Putin during weekend breaks that the pair would spend at undisclosed locations in the Siberian countryside. 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. As defence minister, Shoigu continued aspects of Serdyukov's attempts at modernizing the Russian Armed Forces through reform. This included the creation of the
Special 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. 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). In August 2013 he ordered all Defense Ministry civilian workers, other staff and management employees to wear uniforms. at the
Moscow Victory Day Parade, May 2014 In February 2014, Shoigu said Russia was planning to sign agreements with
Vietnam,
Cuba,
Venezuela,
Nicaragua, the
Seychelles,
Singapore, and several other countries either to house permanent military bases and/or to house airplane refueling stations in those countries. Over the next year, only an agreement with Vietnam was effectively signed.
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 the
Eastern Military District, the
Western Military District, and the
Central Military District. Already in 2015 western observers mentioned the
Vienna 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." In March 2015 Russia under Shoigu's defence ministry halted all activities related to the
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. In October 2016 Shoigu hosted 56 representatives from 31 different
OSCE 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 and
Airborne Forces. The previous visit of the OSCE observers took place in 2011.
Activities related to the revolution in Ukraine and
Dmitry Rogozin at a meeting of the
Military-Industrial Commission of Russia on 19 September 2015 In July 2014, Ukraine opened a criminal case against Shoigu. He was accused of helping to form "illegal military groups" in
Eastern Ukraine who at the time fought against the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainian authorities alleged that Shoigu coordinated all of
DPR Supreme Commander
Igor Girkin's actions, supplying him and "other terrorist leaders" with "the most destructive weapons" since May and instructing him directly, with Putin's approval. 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 in
Crimea", adding "Since 2013 ... we have formed four divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments. They include two missile brigades armed with
Iskander missile complexes, which has allowed to boost fire power to destroy the potential adversary." In July 2018 Shoigu warned that the
Poroshenko administration of Ukraine was not fulfilling the
Minsk agreements which were signed in order to end the
war in Donbas.
Activities related to Syria (2nd from the left) alongside other Russian advisors at
Khmeimim Air Base, June 2016 , September 2017 , October 2017 On 30 September 2015, Russia began a
military operation in
Syria. The operation was carried out by the
Russian Aerospace Forces, with the support of the
Russian Navy and
Bashar al-Assad's
Syrian Armed Forces. On 16 December 2015, speaking to the members of the
State Duma behind closed doors, Shoigu mentioned the possibility of the Russian forces "reaching the
Euphrates" in Syria. In June 2016,
Russia Today, while reporting minister Shoigu's visit to
Hmeymim air base, showed
RBK-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. On 11 December 2017, days after declaring Syria had been "completely liberated" from
ISIL and with the
campaign 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. Several hours later, Shoigu said the troops had already begun to return. On 26 December 2017, Shoigu said that Russia had set about "forming a permanent grouping" at the
Tartus naval facility and the Hmeymim airbase, after Putin approved their structure and personnel strength. 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. On 17 September 2018, during
multiple missile strikes by Israeli
F-16 jets at targets in western Syria, Russia's
Il-20 ELINT reconnaissance plane returning to Khmeimim Air Base, with 15 Russian servicemen on board, was inadvertently downed by a Syrian
S-200 surface-to-air missile. Russia's defence minister the following day blamed Israel's military for the accident and re-affirmed its stance in a minute-by-minute report presented on 23 September. 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. Following the shoot down incident, Shoigu on 24 September said that within two weeks, the Syrian army would receive
S-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. 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.
In Medvedev government Shoigu was reappointed as defence minister in 2018 in the
Medvedev second government.
In Mishustin government at the meeting in Moscow in November 2021 Shoigu was reappointed as defence minister in 2020 in the
Mishustin government. 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."
Activities related to 2022 invasion of Ukraine 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". On 11 February 2022, Shoigu met UK Defense Secretary
Ben Wallace. Shoigu denied that Russia was planning an
invasion of Ukraine. Wallace agreed at the meeting which also included General
Valery Gerasimov that it was important to implement the
Minsk agreements "as a clear way forward". On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale
military invasion of Ukraine. 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". The sources say the decision to invade Ukraine was made by Putin and a small group of
war hawks in Putin's inner circle, including Sergei Shoigu and Putin's national security adviser
Nikolai Patrushev. In a 11 March video conference with Putin, Shoigu claimed that "everything is going to plan". On 24 April, Putin decided to broadcast with English subtitles an 11-minute long
Siege of Mariupol situation report meeting with Shoigu. On 13 May, U.S. Secretary of Defense
Lloyd 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. Also on 13 May, former
FSB officer and former
DPR Supreme Commander
Igor Girkin harshly criticized Shoigu, accusing him of "criminal negligence" in conducting the invasion. On 16 August, Shoigu said that Russia does not need to use
nuclear weapons in Ukraine, as "its main purpose is to deter a nuclear attack. Its use is limited to extraordinary circumstances." At the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security in August 2022, Shoigu hosted 35 defense ministers from
Asia,
Africa and
Latin America. He described
South Africa as a "friendly state" and that South Africa's support has helped counter
NATO pressure on Russia. , September 2022 Shoigu and Putin attended the military exercise in the Russian Far East. Beyond Russian troops, the exercises also included military forces from
China,
India,
Mongolia and several
post-Soviet states, among others. After
large Ukrainian
counteroffensives in September 2022, Igor Girkin said that Shoigu should be executed by
firing squad. The Russia-installed governor of Ukraine's Kherson region
Kirill 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." 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" and
NATO. In September 2022, Shoigu claimed that 5,397 Russian soldiers had been killed in the war in Ukraine. He said that the
2022 Russian mobilization is being carried out to control "already liberated territories" in Ukraine. According to Shoigu, it is planned to mobilize 300,000 reservists. Shoigu said the mobilized people could only be sent to combat zones after "training and combat coordination". 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. On 28 October, Shoigu said that 82,000 mobilized reservists had already been deployed in the combat zone. following Russian rocket strikes on 10 October 2022. Ukraine has identified more than 600 suspected
war criminals from Russia, including Shoigu. On 12 October 2022, the independent Russian media project
iStories reported that more than 90,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, seriously wounded or gone missing in Ukraine, citing sources close to the Kremlin. adding: "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation." On 1 November 2022, Shoigu admitted that the Russian military was
destroying Ukrainian energy facilities. On 6 December 2022, he said that Russian forces are "inflicting massive strikes" on Ukraine. On 21 December 2022, Shoigu said that the war in Ukraine would continue in 2023 "until the tasks are completed". He declared that victory was "inevitable" and claimed that Russian troops were fighting what he called "neo-Nazism and terrorism". On 18 April 2023, Shoigu met with Chinese Defence Minister
Li Shangfu in Moscow. Shoigu said that their countries' military cooperation was a "stabilising" force in the world. They discussed expanding military cooperation. defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, 28 April 2023 On 28 April 2023, he met with Indian Minister of Defence
Rajnath Singh as part of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meeting in
New Delhi, India. 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". On 20 June 2023, Shoigu stated that the
Ukrainian 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 the
Kharkiv and
Kherson counteroffensives of 2022. 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. As of July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense was still keeping secret the actual
number of casualties. In July 2023, Shoigu and a Chinese delegation led by
Communist Party Politburo member
Li Hongzhong arrived in
North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the end of the
Korean War. He met with North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un and North Korean Defense Minister
Kang Sun-nam. On 23 April 2024, Shoigu’s deputy
Timur Ivanov was arrested for taking bribes.
Falling out with Wagner On 5 May 2023,
Wagner chief
Yevgeny Prigozhin blamed Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov for "tens of thousands" of Wagner
casualties, 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." In a video released on 23 June 2023 at the start of the
Wagner Group rebellion, Prigozhin said that
Russian government justifications for the Russian invasion of Ukraine were based on lies. 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". 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'." 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. ==Secretary of the Security Council==