Russia’s president has succeeded in exiling Wagner mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief mutiny last week, but the fate of several top generals is still unclear. There were unconfirmed reports that one of them with ties to Prigozhin has been arrested and another was mysteriously absent from several events attended by President Putin and embattled defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
The opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics has led to speculation that some top military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face punishment for the mutiny that briefly sent a virtually unchallenged march toward Moscow. The speculation focused on General Sergei Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin. The 56-year-old officer, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media because of his reputation for ruthlessness, has not been seen publicly since early Saturday. A Russian military blogger, the Moscow Times and the Financial Times reported that Surovikin, who is also the commander of the Russian air force, has been arrested. Alexei Venediktov, former head of the Ekho Moskvy, a prominent independent radio station that was shut down by authorities after Moscow invaded Ukraine, said Surovikin and his close lieutenants haven’t been in contact with their families for three days, but stopped short of saying that he was detained.
Another prominent military messaging channel, Rybar, which is run by a former defence ministry press officer, repor-ted a purge in the ranks was underway as authorities looked into allegations that some could have sided with Prigozhin.
Surovikin has been linked to Prigozhin since when both were active in Syria, where Russia has waged a military action since 2015 to shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. NYT reportedthat US officials believed that Surovikin had advance knowledge about the mutiny.
Named by Putin in the fall to lead Russian forces in Ukraine, Surovikin presided over the bombing campaign that targeted Ukraine’s power plants and other vital infrastructure but failed to knock out power supplies. In January, Putin replaced him with Valery Gerasimov, putting the chief of the General Staff in charge of the Russian battle in Ukraine. Surovikin was demoted to the position of Gerasimov’s deputy.
Gerasimov’s own fate also is unclear. While Shoigu showed up at several events attended by Putin, Gerasimov was mysteriously absent.
The opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics has led to speculation that some top military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face punishment for the mutiny that briefly sent a virtually unchallenged march toward Moscow. The speculation focused on General Sergei Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin. The 56-year-old officer, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media because of his reputation for ruthlessness, has not been seen publicly since early Saturday. A Russian military blogger, the Moscow Times and the Financial Times reported that Surovikin, who is also the commander of the Russian air force, has been arrested. Alexei Venediktov, former head of the Ekho Moskvy, a prominent independent radio station that was shut down by authorities after Moscow invaded Ukraine, said Surovikin and his close lieutenants haven’t been in contact with their families for three days, but stopped short of saying that he was detained.
Another prominent military messaging channel, Rybar, which is run by a former defence ministry press officer, repor-ted a purge in the ranks was underway as authorities looked into allegations that some could have sided with Prigozhin.
Surovikin has been linked to Prigozhin since when both were active in Syria, where Russia has waged a military action since 2015 to shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. NYT reportedthat US officials believed that Surovikin had advance knowledge about the mutiny.
Named by Putin in the fall to lead Russian forces in Ukraine, Surovikin presided over the bombing campaign that targeted Ukraine’s power plants and other vital infrastructure but failed to knock out power supplies. In January, Putin replaced him with Valery Gerasimov, putting the chief of the General Staff in charge of the Russian battle in Ukraine. Surovikin was demoted to the position of Gerasimov’s deputy.
Gerasimov’s own fate also is unclear. While Shoigu showed up at several events attended by Putin, Gerasimov was mysteriously absent.