Russian general who knew about Wagner rebellion goes missing: Report
The well-known association between General Sergei Surovikin and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has fueled speculation that Surovikin may face repercussions, including potential investigation, for his alleged support of the mutiny.
India Today World Desk
New Delhi,
UPDATED: Jun 29, 2023
Gen Sergei Surovikin currently serves as the head of the Russian aerospace forces and had previously held the position of Moscow's supreme commander in Ukraine. (Reuters photo)
The whereabouts of a top Russian military general have been unknown to the public since Saturday, sparking speculation regarding his involvement in the recent mutiny by mercenary group Wagner. According to reports from US intelligence sources, it is alleged that General Sergei Surovikin, a former leader of the Russian invasion force in Ukraine, had prior knowledge of the uprising led by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Gen Sergei Surovikin currently serves as the head of the Russian aerospace forces and had previously held the position of Moscow's supreme commander in Ukraine. In 2022, Prigozhin publicly welcomed Surovikin's appointment, referring to him as a "legendary figure" and one who was "born to serve his motherland."
The well-known association between Surovikin and Prigozhin has fueled speculation that Surovikin may face repercussions, including potential investigation, for his alleged support of the mutiny. However, in a statement late on Friday, Surovikin unequivocally denounced the uprising and expressed support for the Russian government, urging the mutineers to cease their actions.
“We fought together with you, took risks, we won together,” Surovikin was quoted by The Guardian as saying. “We are of the same blood, we are warriors. I urge you to stop. The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to escalate in our country.”
Gen Sergei Surovikin currently serves as the head of the Russian aerospace forces and had previously held the position of Moscow's supreme commander in Ukraine. (Reuters photo)
The whereabouts of a top Russian military general have been unknown to the public since Saturday, sparking speculation regarding his involvement in the recent mutiny by mercenary group Wagner. According to reports from US intelligence sources, it is alleged that General Sergei Surovikin, a former leader of the Russian invasion force in Ukraine, had prior knowledge of the uprising led by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Gen Sergei Surovikin currently serves as the head of the Russian aerospace forces and had previously held the position of Moscow's supreme commander in Ukraine. In 2022, Prigozhin publicly welcomed Surovikin's appointment, referring to him as a "legendary figure" and one who was "born to serve his motherland."
The well-known association between Surovikin and Prigozhin has fueled speculation that Surovikin may face repercussions, including potential investigation, for his alleged support of the mutiny. However, in a statement late on Friday, Surovikin unequivocally denounced the uprising and expressed support for the Russian government, urging the mutineers to cease their actions.
“We fought together with you, took risks, we won together,” Surovikin was quoted by The Guardian as saying. “We are of the same blood, we are warriors. I urge you to stop. The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to escalate in our country.”
Russia holds General Sergei Surovikin over Wagner mutiny: Reports
The Moscow Times Russian-language service and a military blogger reported Surovikin’s arrest over links to the Wagner mercenary force uprising.
Published On 29 Jun 2023
Russian authorities have reportedly detained General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, amid a reported purge of military officials following the short-lived rebellion by Wagner mercenary forces, according to sources cited by the Moscow Times newspaper and a Russian military blogger.
Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness, is a veteran of Russia’s wars in Chechnya and Syria who has been decorated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Citing two sources close to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the Russian-language service of The Moscow Times reported on Wednesday that Surovikin was arrested due to what one of the unnamed sources said was choosing Wagner chief Yevgeny “Prigozhin’s side during the uprising”.
A Russian military blogger, Vladimir Romanov, also reported Surovikin’s arrest on Wednesday, according to the Moscow Times, while the Washington, DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported another Russian source as claiming that military “affiliates” of Surovikin had been “accused of complicity in the rebellion”.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has yet to comment on the reports of Surovikin’s detention, the newspaper said.
The ISW reported on Wednesday that a prominent Russian military blogging site had claimed that a “large-scale purge” of the Russian military command was under way following the attempt by Wagner forces to enter Moscow and apprehend the country’s senior military leaders.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence is undergoing what Rybar, a pro-Kremlin military analysis channel on Telegram, described as a “crash test” for loyalty amid apparent “indecisiveness” by some in the Russian military command when it came to crushing the Wagner mutiny and their “support” for the private mercenary force, the ISW reported.
Rybar said the uprising by the Wagner force had “become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces”.
“If Russian authorities did arrest Surovikin then the Kremlin will likely use Surovikin and his affiliates as scapegoats to publicly explain why the Russian military and Russian internal security apparatuses responded poorly to the rebellion and to justify a potential overhaul of the Russian military leadership,” the ISW wrote.
“ISW cannot confirm any of these speculations about the command changes at this time, but it is evident that the armed rebellion is continuing to have substantial ramifications in the information space.”
‘A lot of speculation’: Peskov
The Reuters news agency cited three United States officials on Wednesday as saying that Surovikin was known to be sympathetic to the Wagner rebellion but it was unclear if he actively supported it.
Surovikin had been in support of Prigozhin but Western intelligence did not know with certainty if he had helped the rebellion in any way. As the uprising unfolded, he had publicly urged Wagner fighters to return to their bases on Saturday, Reuters reported.
The New York Times also reported that Surovikin had advance knowledge that Prigozhin was planning a rebellion and that Russian authorities were checking if he was complicit
Putin addresses Wagner fighters after mutiny
The Kremlin, asked on Wednesday about the Times report, said there would be “a lot of speculation” in the aftermath of the Wagner mutiny, which saw mercenaries reportedly come to within 200km (124 miles) of Moscow.
“There is now a lot of different speculation and gossip surrounding these events,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies.
“I think that’s an example of that,” he said, dismissing the Times report.
The Russian army and the people “all stood by the President (Vladimir Putin) during the uprising”, Peskov added.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed on Tuesday that the Wagner boss, Prigozhin, had arrived in the country as part of a deal he brokered and which narrowly prevented Wagner mercenaries from marching into Moscow. Wagner fighters have been offered an abandoned military site where they can “put their tents while thinking what to do next”, Lukashenko said.
Putin weakened
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday the failed mutiny had weakened Putin but it was unclear if it would make the Kremlin any more likely to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
“I do believe he is weakened as this shows that the autocratic power structures have cracks in them and he is not as firmly in the saddle as he always asserts,” Scholz said in an hour-long interview with German broadcaster ARD.
Scholz said he did not want to participate in speculation about how long Putin would likely remain in office, saying the West’s aim in supporting Ukraine was to help it defend itself, not to bring about regime change in Russia.
‘All bets are off’: An uncertain future after Wagner mutiny
Asked if at any point on Saturday he had hoped the insurrection by the Wagner mercenaries was the end of Putin’s rule, he said it would have made no sense as it was unclear if what would come after Putin would be better.
“The Wagner troops are a military unit that is acting very aggressively all over the world, and very concretely also in Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Scholz said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
The Moscow Times Russian-language service and a military blogger reported Surovikin’s arrest over links to the Wagner mercenary force uprising.
Russia's General Sergei Surovikin attends a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, 2021 [File: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/pool via Reuters]
Published On 29 Jun 2023
Russian authorities have reportedly detained General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, amid a reported purge of military officials following the short-lived rebellion by Wagner mercenary forces, according to sources cited by the Moscow Times newspaper and a Russian military blogger.
Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness, is a veteran of Russia’s wars in Chechnya and Syria who has been decorated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Citing two sources close to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the Russian-language service of The Moscow Times reported on Wednesday that Surovikin was arrested due to what one of the unnamed sources said was choosing Wagner chief Yevgeny “Prigozhin’s side during the uprising”.
A Russian military blogger, Vladimir Romanov, also reported Surovikin’s arrest on Wednesday, according to the Moscow Times, while the Washington, DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported another Russian source as claiming that military “affiliates” of Surovikin had been “accused of complicity in the rebellion”.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has yet to comment on the reports of Surovikin’s detention, the newspaper said.
The ISW reported on Wednesday that a prominent Russian military blogging site had claimed that a “large-scale purge” of the Russian military command was under way following the attempt by Wagner forces to enter Moscow and apprehend the country’s senior military leaders.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence is undergoing what Rybar, a pro-Kremlin military analysis channel on Telegram, described as a “crash test” for loyalty amid apparent “indecisiveness” by some in the Russian military command when it came to crushing the Wagner mutiny and their “support” for the private mercenary force, the ISW reported.
Rybar said the uprising by the Wagner force had “become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces”.
“If Russian authorities did arrest Surovikin then the Kremlin will likely use Surovikin and his affiliates as scapegoats to publicly explain why the Russian military and Russian internal security apparatuses responded poorly to the rebellion and to justify a potential overhaul of the Russian military leadership,” the ISW wrote.
“ISW cannot confirm any of these speculations about the command changes at this time, but it is evident that the armed rebellion is continuing to have substantial ramifications in the information space.”
‘A lot of speculation’: Peskov
The Reuters news agency cited three United States officials on Wednesday as saying that Surovikin was known to be sympathetic to the Wagner rebellion but it was unclear if he actively supported it.
Surovikin had been in support of Prigozhin but Western intelligence did not know with certainty if he had helped the rebellion in any way. As the uprising unfolded, he had publicly urged Wagner fighters to return to their bases on Saturday, Reuters reported.
The New York Times also reported that Surovikin had advance knowledge that Prigozhin was planning a rebellion and that Russian authorities were checking if he was complicit
Putin addresses Wagner fighters after mutiny
The Kremlin, asked on Wednesday about the Times report, said there would be “a lot of speculation” in the aftermath of the Wagner mutiny, which saw mercenaries reportedly come to within 200km (124 miles) of Moscow.
“There is now a lot of different speculation and gossip surrounding these events,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies.
“I think that’s an example of that,” he said, dismissing the Times report.
The Russian army and the people “all stood by the President (Vladimir Putin) during the uprising”, Peskov added.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed on Tuesday that the Wagner boss, Prigozhin, had arrived in the country as part of a deal he brokered and which narrowly prevented Wagner mercenaries from marching into Moscow. Wagner fighters have been offered an abandoned military site where they can “put their tents while thinking what to do next”, Lukashenko said.
Putin weakened
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday the failed mutiny had weakened Putin but it was unclear if it would make the Kremlin any more likely to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
“I do believe he is weakened as this shows that the autocratic power structures have cracks in them and he is not as firmly in the saddle as he always asserts,” Scholz said in an hour-long interview with German broadcaster ARD.
Scholz said he did not want to participate in speculation about how long Putin would likely remain in office, saying the West’s aim in supporting Ukraine was to help it defend itself, not to bring about regime change in Russia.
‘All bets are off’: An uncertain future after Wagner mutiny
Asked if at any point on Saturday he had hoped the insurrection by the Wagner mercenaries was the end of Putin’s rule, he said it would have made no sense as it was unclear if what would come after Putin would be better.
“The Wagner troops are a military unit that is acting very aggressively all over the world, and very concretely also in Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Scholz said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
Top Russia generals disappear from public view amid rumors of arrests after mutiny
Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group walk along a street while being deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Reuters)
Reuters
Published: 29 June ,2023
Russia’s most senior generals have dropped out of public view following a failed mercenary mutiny aimed at toppling the top brass, amid a drive by President Vladimir Putin to reassert his authority.
Unconfirmed reports say at least one person has been arrested.
Armed forces chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov be handed over. Nor has he been mentioned in a defense ministry press release since June 9.
Gerasimov, 67, is the commander of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the holder of one of Russia’s three “nuclear briefcases,” according to some Western military analysts.
Absent from view too is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his aggressive
tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
A New York Times report, based on a US intelligence briefing, said on Tuesday he had advance knowledge of the mutiny and that Russian authorities were checking if he was complicit.
The Kremlin on Wednesday played down the report, saying that there would be a lot of speculation and gossip.
US officials told Reuters on Wednesday that Surovikin had been in support of Prigozhin, but that Western intelligence did not know with certainty if he had helped the rebellion in any way.
The Russian-language version of the Moscow Times and one military blogger reported Surovikin’s arrest, while some other military correspondents who command large followings in Russia said he and other senior officers were being questioned by the FSB security service to verify their loyalty.
Reuters could not determine whether Surovikin had been arrested or was being screened, along with others, for their reliability in a more standard exercise.
Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defense ministry press officer, said a purge was underway.
He said the authorities were trying to weed out military personnel deemed to have shown “a lack of decisiveness” in putting down the mutiny amid some reports that parts of the armed forces appear to have done little to stop Wagner fighters in the initial stage of the rebellion.
“The armed insurgency by the Wagner private military company has become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces,” Rybar said.
Such a move, if confirmed, could alter the way Russia wages its war in Ukraine — which it calls a “special military operation” — and cause turmoil in the ranks at a time when Moscow is trying to thwart a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
It could also cement or elevate the positions of other senior military and security figures regarded as loyal.
There was no official comment on what was going on from the defense ministry.
Winners and losers
Some Russian and Western military and political analysts believe Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a veteran Putin ally who Prigozhin wanted to bring down with Gerasimov because of his alleged incompetence, may actually now be safer in his job.
“I think he (Prigozhin) actually expected something would be done about Shoigu and Gerasimov, that Putin would rule in his favor,” Michael Kofman, a Russian military specialist at the Carnegie Endowment think tank, wrote on Twitter.
“Instead, his mutiny may have ensured their continued tenure, despite being universally recognized as incompetent, and widely detested in the Russian Federation’s armed forces.”
General Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard and once Putin’s bodyguard, appears to be another beneficiary after appearing in public to say his men were ready to “stand to the death” to defend Moscow from Wagner.
He has spoken of the possibility of getting heavy weaponry and tanks for his forces in the wake of the mutiny.
Gerasimov was conspicuous by his absence when Putin on Tuesday thanked the army for averting a civil war, unlike Shoigu who has made several public appearances since.
Surovikin, Gerasimov’s deputy, was last seen on Saturday when he appeared in a video appealing to Prigozhin to halt his mutiny. He looked exhausted and it was unclear if he was speaking under duress.
Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think tank, said that something looked odd about the video, in which Surovikin has an automatic weapon on his lap.
“I noted a few days ago, there was something very off here. He’s not wearing his insignia or rank tabs. 30+ years in the military and he’s not got them on, even at night? Nope,” she wrote on Twitter.
There were unconfirmed Russian media and blogger reports on Wednesday evening that Surovikin was being held in Moscow’s
Lefortovo detention facility after being arrested.
Alexei Venediktov, a well-connected journalist, said - without citing his sources - that Surovikin had not been in touch with his family since Saturday and that his bodyguards had gone silent too.
Prigozhin, who had spent months vilifying Shoigu and Gerasimov for their alleged incompetence in the Ukraine war, had frequently praised Surovikin who is widely respected in the army for his experience in Chechnya and Syria.
Surovikin, who did a stint as overall commander of the Ukraine war before Gerasimov was appointed to take over, is regarded by Western military analysts as an effective operator and had sometimes been mooted by Russian war correspondents as a potential future defense minister.
Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London, said Surovikin’s removal, if true, could be more destabilizing to Russia’s war effort than Saturday’s mutiny “especially if other associates of Prigozhin/Surovikin start to get purged.”
“Surovikin (is) a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders,” Freedman said on Twitter.
Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group walk along a street while being deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Reuters)
Reuters
Published: 29 June ,2023
Russia’s most senior generals have dropped out of public view following a failed mercenary mutiny aimed at toppling the top brass, amid a drive by President Vladimir Putin to reassert his authority.
Unconfirmed reports say at least one person has been arrested.
Armed forces chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov be handed over. Nor has he been mentioned in a defense ministry press release since June 9.
Gerasimov, 67, is the commander of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the holder of one of Russia’s three “nuclear briefcases,” according to some Western military analysts.
Absent from view too is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his aggressive
tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
A New York Times report, based on a US intelligence briefing, said on Tuesday he had advance knowledge of the mutiny and that Russian authorities were checking if he was complicit.
The Kremlin on Wednesday played down the report, saying that there would be a lot of speculation and gossip.
US officials told Reuters on Wednesday that Surovikin had been in support of Prigozhin, but that Western intelligence did not know with certainty if he had helped the rebellion in any way.
The Russian-language version of the Moscow Times and one military blogger reported Surovikin’s arrest, while some other military correspondents who command large followings in Russia said he and other senior officers were being questioned by the FSB security service to verify their loyalty.
Reuters could not determine whether Surovikin had been arrested or was being screened, along with others, for their reliability in a more standard exercise.
Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defense ministry press officer, said a purge was underway.
He said the authorities were trying to weed out military personnel deemed to have shown “a lack of decisiveness” in putting down the mutiny amid some reports that parts of the armed forces appear to have done little to stop Wagner fighters in the initial stage of the rebellion.
“The armed insurgency by the Wagner private military company has become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces,” Rybar said.
Such a move, if confirmed, could alter the way Russia wages its war in Ukraine — which it calls a “special military operation” — and cause turmoil in the ranks at a time when Moscow is trying to thwart a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
It could also cement or elevate the positions of other senior military and security figures regarded as loyal.
There was no official comment on what was going on from the defense ministry.
Winners and losers
Some Russian and Western military and political analysts believe Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a veteran Putin ally who Prigozhin wanted to bring down with Gerasimov because of his alleged incompetence, may actually now be safer in his job.
“I think he (Prigozhin) actually expected something would be done about Shoigu and Gerasimov, that Putin would rule in his favor,” Michael Kofman, a Russian military specialist at the Carnegie Endowment think tank, wrote on Twitter.
“Instead, his mutiny may have ensured their continued tenure, despite being universally recognized as incompetent, and widely detested in the Russian Federation’s armed forces.”
General Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard and once Putin’s bodyguard, appears to be another beneficiary after appearing in public to say his men were ready to “stand to the death” to defend Moscow from Wagner.
He has spoken of the possibility of getting heavy weaponry and tanks for his forces in the wake of the mutiny.
Gerasimov was conspicuous by his absence when Putin on Tuesday thanked the army for averting a civil war, unlike Shoigu who has made several public appearances since.
Surovikin, Gerasimov’s deputy, was last seen on Saturday when he appeared in a video appealing to Prigozhin to halt his mutiny. He looked exhausted and it was unclear if he was speaking under duress.
Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think tank, said that something looked odd about the video, in which Surovikin has an automatic weapon on his lap.
“I noted a few days ago, there was something very off here. He’s not wearing his insignia or rank tabs. 30+ years in the military and he’s not got them on, even at night? Nope,” she wrote on Twitter.
There were unconfirmed Russian media and blogger reports on Wednesday evening that Surovikin was being held in Moscow’s
Lefortovo detention facility after being arrested.
Alexei Venediktov, a well-connected journalist, said - without citing his sources - that Surovikin had not been in touch with his family since Saturday and that his bodyguards had gone silent too.
Prigozhin, who had spent months vilifying Shoigu and Gerasimov for their alleged incompetence in the Ukraine war, had frequently praised Surovikin who is widely respected in the army for his experience in Chechnya and Syria.
Surovikin, who did a stint as overall commander of the Ukraine war before Gerasimov was appointed to take over, is regarded by Western military analysts as an effective operator and had sometimes been mooted by Russian war correspondents as a potential future defense minister.
Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London, said Surovikin’s removal, if true, could be more destabilizing to Russia’s war effort than Saturday’s mutiny “especially if other associates of Prigozhin/Surovikin start to get purged.”
“Surovikin (is) a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders,” Freedman said on Twitter.
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