Sergey Shoigu was "the leader of an extremely influential clan" and with corrupt connections he created a network of subordinates, says journalist Roman Anin. He predicts that there will be a "war between the clans" in Russia for Putin's throne.
Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu may threaten the power of President Vladimir Putin, because he remains an influential politician and does not want to suffer the fate of his former deputies who received prison sentences.
A conspiracy and assassination attempt against Putin?
This assessment was made in a comment to DW by Roman Anin, founder of the website “Important Stories”. Shortly before this, his publication, as well as the American CNN and the newspaper “Financial Times”, published an investigation based on an intelligence report from an EU country. According to these data, the Kremlin is growing concerned about a possible conspiracy and assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin by the political elite, including the possible use of drones. Shoigu, who has been the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia since May 2024, has been characterized as a “potential destabilizing factor” for Putin's power.
In addition, the intelligence report speaks of growing tension between the security forces, which accuse each other of failing to protect against attacks by the Ukrainian special services. According to Anin's assessments, the published data indicate that a process of “increased hostility between the security forces and the clans” has begun in Russia.
Mafia omerta
“The Russian authorities are organized on the principle of clans. (….) In any dictatorship of this type, when the dictator's positions begin to weaken, the struggle between the clans intensifies and a battle for power ensues," the founder of the website "Important Stories" told DW. He notes that in the investigation, Shoigu was not called the "leader of a possible future power," but a "destabilizing factor."
„For many years, Sergei Shoigu was the leader of an extremely influential clan, which included Vorobyov, Timchenko, and others. He managed to unite a huge number of people under his leadership while he was Minister of Defense and Head of the Ministry of Civil Defense and the Fight against Emergencies and Disasters, tying them to himself with the help of corrupt connections. This is essentially a mafia omerta," says Roman Anin.
War of the clans in Russia?
He recalls that recently several former deputies of Shoigu in the Ministry of Defense, including his closest associates, have been arrested at once. That is why former Defense Minister Shoigu "began to extrapolate their fate onto himself" and to think about how he could avoid it, Anin claims.
According to him, the data published in the investigation speak of "Putin's weakening role as an arbitrator in the existing clan system". Anin predicts that a war of the clans is imminent in Russia as the most likely scenario for the future. "It is difficult to predict who will win this clan war, because the players are numerous and each of them is strong in their own way," the journalist concludes.