Duma To Consider Summoning Shoigu As Fallout Continues From Ukr Losses

Reuters has reported that the Russian parliament is considering summoning Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to face scrutiny following domestic backlash at substantial territorial losses suffered by the Russian military this week.

• Reuters: "It is virtually unknown for the State Duma to summon a defence minister to account for himself. However, Russia's armed forces have been openly criticised by military commentators this week after losing control of large parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv region to a lightning advance by Ukrainian forces."
• Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov tweeted yesterday that his pro-Kremlin A Just Russia party proposed the session with Shoigu, "so that the deputies can speak with him behind closed doors and ask all the questions that interest us and the citizens.”
• This week has seen the first genuine signs of disunity within the Russian establishment with pro-Kremlin figures openly questioning Russian military tactics on Russian television.
• Today, the United States Treasury announced a new raft of sanction on Russian entities, including the family of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a key Putin ally.