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Russian general – General Surovikin is said to have known about the putsch – where is he? – News

29 June 2023

Since the uprising of the Wagner troops and the march towards Moscow, the rumor mill has been simmering: The “Moscow Times” reports that the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian invasion troops in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, has been arrested. According to the New York Times, he is said to have known about the Wagner Group uprising. What’s going on in Moscow? Former SRF Moscow correspondent David Nauer knows more about this.

David Nauer is the foreign editor at Radio SRF. From 2016 to 2021 he worked as a correspondent in Russia. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, he has been traveling regularly to Ukraine.

How credible are the rumors about General Surovikin?

It’s not known exactly. Several Russian sources claim he is either in custody or has been absent for at least three days. Nationalist Russian military bloggers report that the secret service is detaining Surovikin for being disloyal to Putin. A well-connected liberal journalist also reports that Surovikin has not been found for three days, and that not even his bodyguard could be reached. But none of this is guaranteed.

Air Force General Sergei Surovikin was appointed supreme commander of Russian troops in the war of aggression against Ukraine in October 2022. Then, after criticism of military setbacks, he was replaced in January by Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov and demoted to his deputy. Under the supreme command of Surovikin, the Ukrainian army forced a withdrawal from Kherson and from the right bank of the Dnipro in the region.

How loyal is Surovikin to Putin?

Surovikin may not be directly disloyal to Putin, but he may have been involved in a power struggle within the security apparatus. On the one hand there is Defense Minister Shoigu, on the other Wagner boss Prigozchin, who instigated this uprising at the weekend. It is known that Surovikin was close to Prigozhin in the past. That could have been his undoing now, because Putin has opted for the other camp.

Surovikin called on Prigozhin to surrender

Gerasimov also seems to have disappeared from the scene. How is that interpreted?

His disappearance is a mystery. Chief of Staff Gerasimov is really not suspected of being allied with Prigozhin. However, the Russian army has made massive efforts to bring the insurgents’ advance under control. Perhaps the Kremlin now blames Gerasimov for this failure and saw him off – but that is pure speculation.

«Power struggles in the Kremlin are like bulldogs fighting under a rug: from the outside you only hear growls, you don’t know what’s going on. But every now and then a bone comes out from under the carpet.”

How concerned is all these rumors in Moscow?

It looks as if there are power struggles – or that the Kremlin is taking action against potentially disloyal figures. All in all, Putin should still have the situation under control – but he is probably unsettled. Putin is trying to regain his authority with a series of public appearances. Meanwhile, his people in the power apparatus are probably looking for potential traitors. So Putin is still firmly in the saddle. But over the weekend he saw how quickly someone could throw him out.