Russian General Sergei Surovikin Arrested Amidst Uprising Against Military Leadership
In a shocking turn of events, Russian General Sergei Surovikin has been arrested, according to The Moscow Times’ Russian service. The Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the alleged arrest, which reportedly took place following an armed rebellion led by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin against Russia’s military leadership.
Sources close to the Defense Ministry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that Surovikin has not been seen in public since Saturday, the day of the uprising. One source described the situation with the general as not being “OK” for the authorities, without providing further details. Another source suggested that Surovikin had chosen Prigozhin’s side during the rebellion, leading to his arrest.
When asked about the general’s current whereabouts, the source responded that they were not even commenting on the information through internal channels. However, pro-war military blogger Vladimir Romanov claimed that Surovikin was detained on Sunday, a day after Prigozhin’s mutiny, and is now being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo detention center.
Concerns about Surovikin’s well-being have been raised by Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the shuttered Ekho Moskvy radio station. Venediktov stated on Telegram that Surovikin has not been in contact with his family for three days and that his guards are unresponsive.
The New York Times reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials, that Surovikin had prior knowledge of Prigozhin’s plan to instigate a rebellion against Russia’s military leadership. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report as “speculation” and “gossip,” suggesting that President Vladimir Putin had not given in to Prigozhin’s demands for a reshuffle of the Russian military’s top brass.
The uprising led by Wagner Group set off Russia’s most serious security crisis in decades. However, Prigozhin agreed to stand down on Saturday night in exchange for immunity in exile, as part of a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Surovikin, who previously commanded Russia’s forces in Ukraine for three months, has been replaced by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The circumstances surrounding his arrest and the implications for Russia’s military leadership remain unclear. The Defense Ministry’s silence on the matter only adds to the intrigue surrounding this developing story.
