Russian general is believed detained in aftermath of Wagner mercenary revolt
WASHINGTON — Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, is believed to have been detained days after mercenaries staged a revolt inside Russia, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Thursday, citing U.S. and Ukrainian intelligence assessments.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
It’s not clear whether Surovikin faces any charges or where he is being held, reflecting the opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics and uncertainty after the revolt.
But his reported detention comes days after mercenaries with the private military contractor Wagner took over the Russian military’s headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and headed toward Moscow in what appears to have been an aborted insurrection.
Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has spoken positively of Surovikin while criticizing the country’s military brass and suggested that he should be appointed the General Staff chief to replace Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The New York Times this week reported that U.S. officials believe Surovikin had advance knowledge of Prigozhin’s plan to instigate the revolt.
The White House and the Kremlin declined to comment.
Even far from Ukraine’s front lines, military funerals set off waves of mourning. ‘You can’t see an end to it,’ one chaplain says as the war drags on.
Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin, hasn’t been seen since the start of the rebellion when he posted a video urging an end to it.
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.
There has been intense speculation that some top military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face punishment for the mutiny and virtually unchallenged march toward Moscow that Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled treason and a “stab in the back.”
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 Venediktov stopped short of saying that he had been detained.
The United Nations human rights office says Russian forces carried out widespread and systematic torture of civilians who were detained in Ukraine.
Another prominent military messaging channel, Rybar, run by a former Russian Defense Ministry press officer, reported that 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 the time both were active in Syria, where Russia has engaged in military operations since 2015 to shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government and to help him reclaim territory after a devastating civil war.
While Prigozhin had unleashed expletive-ridden tirades at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov before last week’s mutiny, demanding their ouster, he has continually praised Surovikin and suggested naming him to replace Gerasimov. When the rebellion began, however, Surovikin recorded a video urging a halt to the mutiny.
Earlier this week, asked about the New York Times report that U.S. officials believed Surovikin had advance knowledge of the mutiny, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged it off as part of “speculations and gossip.”
Russian private military contractor Wagner is busy boosting its brand as its fighters try to subdue Ukraine, trading secrecy for war propaganda movies.
On Thursday, Peskov refused to comment on whether Surovikin had been arrested.
Asked by the AP if the president still trusts Surovikin, he replied that Putin works with the defense minister and the chief of the General Staff and referred questions about officers to the Defense Ministry. He also referred all other questions about Surovikin and his status to the ministry.
As to whether Putin considers it necessary to dismiss military officials who had had links with Prigozhin, Peskov replied that “the issue isn’t my prerogative, and I have nothing to say on that.”
The bald, fierce-looking Surovikin, who was nicknamed “General Armageddon” by Western media for his brutal tactics in Syria and Ukraine, was credited with shoring up Russian defenses after Moscow’s retreat from broad areas of Ukrainian territory last fall amid a swift counteroffensive by Kyiv.
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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 that failed to knock out power supplies.
In January, Putin replaced him with Gerasimov, putting the General Staff chief 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 after the abortive mutiny. While Shoigu showed up at several events attended by Putin, Gerasimov was mysteriously absent.
If a purge is indeed underway, it could destabilize the military chain of command and erode troop morale amid the early stage of Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive and offer Kyiv a chance to reclaim more ground.
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