When Vladimir Putin met by video with the permanent members of the Security Council on May 13, five of the thirteen squares on his monitor were empty: among these were the squares reserved for Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Patrushev and Lavrov were not present at this meeting of the most influential body in Russian politics, despite the fact that the topics under discussion—the course of the "special military operation" in Ukraine and the new threats facing Russia due to the possible entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO—directly concern their portfolios. No special mention was made of Patrushev and Lavrov’s absence, but it looked strange and led to rumors that these members of the president's inner circle could somehow have fallen into disgrace.
