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Vladimir Putin

Putin sidelines Russia's defense minister over stalled progress in Ukraine, according to the UK

Sergei Shoigu has no military background but has been Russia's minister of defense since 2012

Paul Best By Paul Best Fox News
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Lt. Col. Danny Davis on Russia's war with Ukraine: 'Still a lot of risk for Ukrainian troops right now' Video

Lt. Col. Danny Davis on Russia's war with Ukraine: 'Still a lot of risk for Ukrainian troops right now'

Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis breaks down the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including reports of ramped up Russian aggressions.

Russian Vladimir Putin has sidelined Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as the invasion of Ukraine enters its seventh month, according to a report issued Monday by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. 

Operational commanders are now briefing the Kremlin directly on progress in Ukraine, with Shoigu taking a back seat. 

"Russian officers and soldiers with first-hand experience of the war probably routinely ridicule Shoigu for his ineffectual and out-of-touch leadership as Russian progress has stalled," the U.K. wrote in its intelligence update. 

"Shoigu has likely long struggled to overcome his reputation as lacking substantive military experience, as he spent most of his career in the construction sector and the Ministry of Emergency Situations."

  • Putin and Shoigu
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    Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) seen during the Navy Day Parade. (Contributor/Getty Images)

  • Shoigu in Russia
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    In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes part in a video call with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Moscow, Russia. (Vadim Savitskiy/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

  • Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu
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    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. (Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS)

Shoigu, who is originally from the Tuva region of Russia in southern Sibera, gained national popularity in the 1990s and 2000s as the minister of emergency situations by personally visiting the sites of natural disasters and terrorist bombings. 

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Putin chose him to be the defense minister in 2012, despite the fact that he had no military background or combat experience. 

"If you look at who was in minister roles in 1999 and are still around now, there are only two names: one is Shoigu, the other is Putin," Dmitry Gorenburg, Ph.D., a Russian military expert, previously told Fox News. 

  • A dog and Ukrainian army soldiers
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    Ukrainian soldiers take part in a military sweep to search for possible remnants of Russian troops after their withdrawal from villages in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

  • Ukraine soldiers and artillery in Kharkiv region
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    A Ukrainian serviceman looks at a self-propelled howitzer on a road in the Kharkiv region. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Ukraine servicemen ride a fighting vehicle amid the war
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    Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an armored fighting vehicle Tuesday as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues at an unknown location in Eastern Ukraine. (Press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces/Handout via REUTERS)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Shoigu in May and urged "an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine," according to the Pentagon. 

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Putin ordered a sharp increase of troops by 137,000 to a total fighting force of 1,150,000 last week in an effort to replenish losses after six months of war. 

Russian forces have captured nearly all of Luhansk and are trying to gain control of Donetsk, which are the two regions that make up the eastern Donbas. Fighting has also coalesced around southern Ukraine in recent weeks, with increased focus on Crimea, a peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. 

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report, as well as the Associated Press. 

Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.