Anastasia Gorbacheva14:45, 06/29/23

It is known that “General Armageddon” had a good relationship with Prigozhin.

Russian army general Sergei Surovikin has been detained as the Kremlin cracks down on Wagner supporters after last week’s failed mutiny by mercenaries.

The Financial Times reports that Surovikin, a high-ranking Russian general known to be on good terms with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, failed to appear for several days and was detained, according to three people familiar with the matter. It remains unclear whether Surovikin, the head of Russia’s air force, was accused of plotting the Saturday uprising led by Prigozhin or simply detained for questioning.

Vladimir Putin has launched a purge at the top of the intelligence services, Moscow’s elite say, as the president aims to quell criticism, restore order and reassert his rule after Russia’s first attempted coup in three decades.

Many hard-liners, who were known to sympathize with Wagner and criticize the regular military forces, have disappeared from view in recent days, while loyalists such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigozhin hoped to oust in his coup, have been given a platform and was shown in public, participating in high-level meetings and events.

“Putin knew about Prigozhin’s rebellion plans in advance, as we understand, and therefore could have prepared to some extent,” said a representative of the Western government. “He could see who was doing what that day. And now he’s cleaning up.”

The official said they believed Surovikin had been detained, adding: “We understand that other people will come after him.”

Known as “General Armageddon” for his brutal bombing tactics in Syria, Surovikin was promoted last fall to lead Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although he was quickly demoted, he remained a favorite among Russia’s more hard-line pro-war community, and this spring began acting as a curator for the Wagner paramilitary group fighting on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.

As Prigozhin’s conflict with the military establishment in Moscow escalated, Surovikin is believed to have acted as a mediator. When the conflict escalated into an armed mutiny against Moscow’s defense elite late Friday night, Surovikin recorded a brief statement urging Wagner fighters to lay down their arms, then disappeared.

“He is not at home. There is no contact with him, his bodyguard, his aide-de-camp,” one of the people familiar with the matter told the FT on Wednesday.

Russian journalist Oleksiy Venediktov said on Wednesday that Surovikin “has not been in touch with his family for three days. His bodyguards are not responding either.”

Suspicions surrounding Surovikin could have been caused by his good relations with Prigozhin. While the Wagnerian warlord lashed out at other generals and the defense elite, blaming them for the high death toll among Russian soldiers during the invasion and accusing them of “genocide,” he maintained a dialogue with Surovikin.

Surovikin also clashed with senior Defense Ministry leadership over tactics and strategy, leading to Putin demoting him as head of the Russian invasion after only a few months in the role. Instead, Putin reappointed Valery Gerasimov, and soon after, Russia launched a new offensive.

The Kremlin on Thursday declined to answer any questions about Surovikin and told reporters they should instead turn to the defense ministry.

On Wednesday, the official representative of the Kremlin, Dmytro Peskov, denied the New York Times report, citing US officials, that the general knew in advance about the coup plot. Peskov said he expected “a lot of speculation around these events,” adding, “I think this is an example of that.”

(C)UNIAN 2023