Vladimir Putin has fired General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin as head of his aerospace forces, Russian media have confirmed today.
The notoriously ruthless commander, 56, disappeared from view two months ago and was said to have been placed under arrest following a coup led by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Kremlin said Colonel General Viktor Afzalov, 55, who fell asleep during a speech by Putin about the war, has replaced Soerovikin on an “interim” basis.
Seen as one of Russia’s most capable — and vicious — generals, Surovikin also reportedly lost his other role as deputy to General Valery Gerasimov, Putin’s general war commander.
Soerovikin’s demise is seen as a victory for Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a toxic power struggle within Putin’s high command.
Some reports suggest that Surovikin will be demoted to a new job, but there are also claims that his family has not seen him since he disappeared from sight at the time of the coup against the Putin regime, and that legal sanctions are still pending rest on him.
General Sergei Surovikin with Vladimir Putin
The notoriously ruthless commander, 56, disappeared from view two months ago after condemning the Wagner group’s mutiny against the Defense Ministry
General Surovikin and his wife Anna are seen drinking at a New Year’s Eve party in 2022
One source said: “Surovikin was relieved of his duties due to a transfer to another job and is at the disposal of the Ministry of Defense.”
Another said he was on a ‘short vacation’.
During the Wagner mutiny against the Ministry of Defense in June, the father of four Soerovikin was recalled from the war zone to Moscow.
He released a video calling on the Wagner mutineers to lay down their arms and stop a march on Moscow – this later turned out to be the last time he was seen.
But some Putin loyalists believed he had foreknowledge of the putsch bid, or even colluded with Wagner chief Prigozhin.
Reports followed that he had been detained for interrogation in Lefortovo Prison, or a secret military prison.
It is believed that he was questioned by a commission appointed by Shoigu, but a veil of secrecy was cast over his status and the Kremlin did not provide information on his whereabouts.
Surovikin was notorious for his brutality in Syria and Chechnya, where he earned the nickname “General Armageddon.”
He was briefly in charge of Russia’s war campaign in Ukraine from October until Putin stripped him of responsibility in January and handed it over to Gerasimov.
During his tenure, he was accused of “genocidal” attacks on Ukrainian power plants.
Yet he was also credited with commanding the defensive lines that blocked Kiev’s progress in the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
He has also faced corruption claims over a £3 million ‘English style mansion’ he shares with his wife Anna.
Colonel General Viktor Afzalov, 55, (first from left) has replaced General Sergei Surovikin
Top Russian military and security chiefs meeting with Vladimir Putin in December 2022. Colonel General Afzalov (highlighted) is seen with eyes closed, first from right in third row
A drone strike today on one of Moscow’s skyscrapers
Dramatic video shows the moment the explosion ripped through the new One Tower, which is under construction in the prestigious business and government zone of Moscow City, about five kilometers from the Kremlin
Surovikin’s former Deputy Colonel General Viktor Afzalov now sits in first place.
The British Ministry of Defense said in a recent update that Afzalov was likely under “intense pressure” to “improve air defenses over western Russia.”
Afzalov’s promotion comes as Ukraine continues to taunt Russian aerospace forces with increasing kamikaze drone attacks on Moscow.
The latter targeted another skyscraper in the capital’s business district in the early hours of this morning.
Security camera footage captured the moment a drone crashed into the side of a skyscraper and erupted in a yellow ball of flame.
The increasing drone attacks are a problem for Putin, who assumed when invading Ukraine that this would have little direct effect on the Russians.
Russia said it had prevented most of Ukraine’s drone attacks on Moscow early this morning by shooting down two and blocking a third, which eventually crashed into the skyscraper.
It was not reported that the attempted attack in Moscow had hurt anyone and appeared to have caused only minor damage.
The state news agency Tass reported that windows on three floors of the high-rise building were damaged.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which rarely takes direct responsibility for drone attacks on Russian territory or areas controlled by Russia, but which appears to have stepped up such attacks since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.
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