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The Russian president succeeded in banishing Wagner’s mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief rebellion last week, but the fate of several senior generals remains unclear. There were unconfirmed reports that one with ties to Prigozhin was arrested and the other was mysteriously absent from several events attended by President Putin and embattled Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The opaque world of Kremlin politics has led to speculation that some high-ranking military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face retribution for the mutiny that briefly sent an almost unchallenged march toward Moscow. Speculation has centered on General Sergei Surovikin, who has longstanding ties to Prigozhin. The 56-year-old officer, dubbed “General Armageddon” by Russian media for his reputation for cruelty, has not been seen in public since early Saturday. A Russian military blogger, The Moscow Times and Financial Times, reported that Surovkin, who is also the commander of the Russian Air Force, has been detained. Aleksey Venediktov, the former head of Ekho Moskvy, a prominent independent radio station shut down by the authorities after Moscow invaded Ukraine, said Surovikin and his close aides had not been in contact with their families for three days, but had stopped speaking. that he was arrested.
Rebar, another prominent military correspondent channel, which is run by a former Defense Ministry press officer, recounted that a purge in the ranks was underway as authorities looked into allegations that some could have sided with Prigozhin.
Surovkin and Prigozhin have been linked since they were working in Syria, where Russia has launched military action since 2015 to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times reported that US officials believed Surovkin had foreknowledge of the insurgency.
Appointed by Putin in the fall to command Russian forces in Ukraine, Surovikin presided over a bombing campaign that targeted Ukraine’s power plants and other critical infrastructure but failed to cut off the energy supply. In January, Putin replaced him with Valery Gerasimov, and put the chief of the general staff in charge of the Russian battle in Ukraine. Surovikin was demoted to Gerasimov’s deputy.
The fate of Gerasimov himself is also unclear. While Shoigu appeared at several events Putin attended, Gerasimov was mysteriously absent.
The opaque world of Kremlin politics has led to speculation that some high-ranking military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face retribution for the mutiny that briefly sent an almost unchallenged march toward Moscow. Speculation has centered on General Sergei Surovikin, who has longstanding ties to Prigozhin. The 56-year-old officer, dubbed “General Armageddon” by Russian media for his reputation for cruelty, has not been seen in public since early Saturday. A Russian military blogger, The Moscow Times and Financial Times, reported that Surovkin, who is also the commander of the Russian Air Force, has been detained. Aleksey Venediktov, the former head of Ekho Moskvy, a prominent independent radio station shut down by the authorities after Moscow invaded Ukraine, said Surovikin and his close aides had not been in contact with their families for three days, but had stopped speaking. that he was arrested.
Rebar, another prominent military correspondent channel, which is run by a former Defense Ministry press officer, recounted that a purge in the ranks was underway as authorities looked into allegations that some could have sided with Prigozhin.
Surovkin and Prigozhin have been linked since they were working in Syria, where Russia has launched military action since 2015 to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times reported that US officials believed Surovkin had foreknowledge of the insurgency.
Appointed by Putin in the fall to command Russian forces in Ukraine, Surovikin presided over a bombing campaign that targeted Ukraine’s power plants and other critical infrastructure but failed to cut off the energy supply. In January, Putin replaced him with Valery Gerasimov, and put the chief of the general staff in charge of the Russian battle in Ukraine. Surovikin was demoted to Gerasimov’s deputy.
The fate of Gerasimov himself is also unclear. While Shoigu appeared at several events Putin attended, Gerasimov was mysteriously absent.
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