Last weekend, Russian state media published a video showing Sergey Shoygu at work.
The Secretary of Defense addressed his officers in a wood-panelled room.
It was about the budget and arms deliveries.
The release came in response to speculation in the West that Vladimir Putin's close adviser might have fallen out of favor over the military difficulties in the "special operation" in Ukraine.
One indication of this was that Shojgu had not appeared in public for two weeks.
Thomas Gutschker
Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.
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Majid Sattar
Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.
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It was not possible to say with certainty whether the video was actually made last Saturday, as claimed, or whether the Russian propaganda wanted to use archive material to simulate routine.
Moscow recently responded with another video that should eliminate doubts.
On Tuesday, Shoygu was also quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the main goal now is the "liberation" of the Donbass in eastern Ukraine.
Whatever was behind the alleged disappearance, findings by American intelligence services that have now been released speak for a rift in the Moscow power apparatus: There are "increasing tensions" between Putin and the Ministry of Defense.
The Russian President was misinformed about the true situation in Ukraine.
Pentagon: Putin was not always fully informed
Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director, said the administration has information that Putin feels misled by his advisers, leading to ongoing tensions between him and the military leadership.
He is unaware of how badly the invasion is going and how crippling Western sanctions are for the Russian economy.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said the "Achilles' heel of autocracies" is that there are not people who dare to speak the truth outright in front of the authorities.
He thinks this can be seen in Russia right now.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also said he agreed that Putin had not been fully briefed by the Department of Defense at all times in the past month.
That the president might not know the full extent of his armed forces' problems in Ukraine, he said, "frankly gives Kirby a little headache."
In fact, contradictory reactions in Moscow to the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are also explained in Washington by the fact that Putin's concerns are unclear.
The Pentagon spokesman blamed Putin himself.
Other officials have also pointed out that the president's rigorous isolation during the pandemic and his way of publicly correcting and embarrassing advisers has led to vigilance, if not fear, among military leaders.
The result is that Putin receives incomplete or overly optimistic situation reports.
According to American services, it seems that Putin really has no idea that Russian conscripts were deployed and killed in Ukraine.