Russia’s General ‘Armageddon’ vanishes amid suspicion he is being interrogated over Wagner’s mutiny
A top Russian general has ‘disappeared’ amid claims he had advance knowledge of the armed uprising that threatened Vladimir Putin’s regime.
One theory is that General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin is being questioned about a plot to depose Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on a hunt to purge the enemies within.
Surovikin, 56, is the second-in-command of the Russian armed forces. He has known ties with ‘coup leader’ Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s army chief.
U.S. officials aware of U.S. intelligence said a top Russian general had prior knowledge of Prigozhin’s plans to rebel against Shoigu and the Chief of the Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, for failures in the war against Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
It is suspected that this general is Surovikin, a commander known for his ruthlessness and brutality.
There are allegations that Surovikin had advance knowledge of the weekend armed uprising that threatened Vladimir Putin’s regime
Surovkin knows ties to ‘coup leader’ Yevgeny Prigozhin, the army chief of the Wagner mercenary
The well-connected pro-war Rybar Telegram channel has revealed that Surovikin “hasn’t been seen since Saturday.”
The military-linked channel stated, “The whereabouts of ‘General Armageddon’ are not known for certain.
“There’s a version that he’s being interrogated.”
The channel said that while Gerasimov formally retains his title, he “is no longer involved in decisions on issues in the [war].’
Airborne Forces Commander Mikhail Teplinsky now commands the special military operation, Rybar said.
Surovikin was put in charge of Russia’s war effort in October, but was absolved of his responsibility by Putin in January – but he remained as Gerasimov’s deputy.
Before Surovikin apparently disappeared, on Saturday he issued a desperate appeal for them to abandon their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases “before it is too late.”
He revealed that he had been sent back to Moscow from the front line.
It now appears that this may have been due to suspicions of his knowledge of the ‘coup’ as presumed sympathy for it.
Coup leader and army chief of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday
He said publicly at the time: “We cannot play into the hands of the enemy at this difficult time for our country.
“Before it is not too late, it is necessary to follow the order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation.”
It is alleged that he has not been seen since the recording of this message.
Rybar stated: ‘The armed mutiny of the Wagner PMC [private military company] has become a pretext for large-scale purges in the ranks of the Russian armed forces and a crash test of the ministry’s loyalty.
Subordinate ranks are also purged of those who expressed support for Wagner’s uprising against Putin’s commanders, it is alleged.
Surovikin was put in charge of Russia’s war effort in October, but was absolved of his responsibility by Putin in January – but he remained as Gerasimov’s deputy.
Meanwhile, a separate report said Putin was too afraid to fire his “extremely dangerous” defense minister, fearing him as a direct rival.
The weakened dictator eventually stopped the armed uprising over the weekend, which specifically targeted Shoigu for his shortcomings in the war.
But the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel quoted an insider source as saying that Putin could not agree to leader Prigozhin’s demand to fire the 68-year-old defense minister because of Shoigu’s popularity with senior officials.
“Shoigu is extremely dangerous in case of dismissal, because of his knowledge, the huge number of people loyal to him in leadership positions and the presence of levers of influence … in the Kremlin,” the channel’s source said.
Shoigu has served in the Russian government longer than Putin and knows where bodies are buried.
Fighters of the private mercenary group Wagner deployed on a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don
He is not like other Putin ministers “whose silence and passivity can be bought with money,” the source said.
“Everything is more serious here. Putin is not ready for such a conflict now.’
As negotiations were underway on Saturday between Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov to halt the armed uprising, Putin flatly refused to oust Shoigu.
In the event that a deal was struck to allow Prigozhin to go into exile with impunity, even though Putin had stated that the Wagner boss was guilty of “treachery” and “betrayal.”
Sources also indicate that during Saturday’s unfolding events, Putin did not keep in touch – not even with Lukashenko who tried to help him with the negotiations.
He traded only with Bortnikov.
Putin is said to have fled Moscow to his forest palace in Valdai, where he has a bunker.
The new revelations highlight the deep splits and instability at the height of the 70-year-old Putin’s power structure as he suffers Ukrainian territorial gains in the war.