Moscow, Russia - The Russian government released footage of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for the first time since the weekend's armed uprising against his leadership by the Wagner Group.

The 47-second video without sound, which shows Shoigu in talking to other military officers, was recorded during a visit to the combat zone in Ukraine, the ministry said on Telegram on Monday.

The minister had visited one of the forward command posts there, said the statement, which could not be independently verified.

No information was given as to when the footage was taken.

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There was no trace of Shoigu in public after mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin started an uprising on Friday night and temporarily occupied the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Russia's chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, also did not comment during these chaotic hours.

Prigozhin had levelled serious accusations against both Shoigu and Gerasimov, naming their alleged military misconduct as the reason why he wanted his fighters to march on Moscow to oust them.

After Prigozhin surprisingly declared his uprising to be over on Saturday evening, speculation increased around whether there might now be personnel changes in the Russian military leadership.

Russian military bloggers cast doubt on the timing of the newly-released video.

Shortly after it was published, many argued that the footage was recorded before the uprising.

The well-known Telegram channel Rybar, for example, said that the clip had been "canned."

Shoigu is a hotly-contested figure among some military bloggers, who broadly agree with Prigozhin's accusations.