Surovikin was fired as head of Russia’s air defense this summer. Now the Russian media have found a picture of him on Facebook page of the mosque Abdelhamid Ben Badis in the coastal city of Oran.
Kommersant newspaper quotes a source close to Surovikin as saying that he is back at work and traveling with an official delegation from the Ministry of Defence. Algeria is an important customer for Russian arms exports.
The general is pictured with Russian officers in uniform, as well as the imam Abu Abdallah Zebar. Surovikin himself is wearing civilian clothes in the picture. Moscow has not commented on the matter.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War say it has been standard procedure for the Russian military during the Ukraine war to move out-of-favour leaders to peripheral positions rather than fire them.
Surovikin is also known by the nickname General Armageddon and was for a short time commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine. It has been speculated that he knew about the Wagner Rebellion in advance and supported it.
2023-09-16 03:05:16
#Wagnerfriendly #general #reappeared #Africa
