The Russian military high command, believed to have known in advance of the weekend mutiny, has been detained, and security services have “a tight grip” on him, according to a local report.
On Thursday, The Kremlin refused to discuss the whereabouts of General Sergei Surovikin, 56, who has not been seen since the weekend revolt by his close ally, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
However, two sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed to the Moscow Times that he, the former military leader of the Ukrainian war, has been detained, with one of them saying that his situation is “not good.”
“Apparently, he [Surovikin] chose Prigozhin’s side during the uprising, and he’s been caught,” one of the sources said.
The interrogation of the general – who remained deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine – is so sensitive that Defense Department officials “do not even comment on this information through our internal channels,” one of the sources told the Moscow newspaper.
Veteran Russian journalist Alexei Venediktov stated that Surovikin “has not been in contact with his family for three days,” according to the Financial Times. “His security guards are not responding either.”
Sergei Markov, a political consultant and former pro-Kremlin politician, also stated on Telegram that the brutal leader nicknamed “General Armageddon” was being interrogated.
And not only him. … A massive investigation has begun,” she wrote.
“Hundreds of investigators are undoubtedly involved in it, and thousands of people will be questioned. Or maybe tens of thousands.
“Absolutely all the generals and officers who had contact with Prigozhin and Wagner will be interrogated. And all who served in Wagner,’ he said.
The investigation is being “carried out by the (Federal Security Service) FSB, the Investigative Committee and the Military Prosecutor’s Office,” he said.
“The main task of the investigation remains not to identify who should be punished, but to identify what systemic errors were made” to help prevent a future “riot,” he wrote.
“Surovikin must have been interrogated for many hours over many days. Not because he is the main suspect, but because he is the main informant,” as Wagner’s key handler, Markov, stated.
The arrest was part of efforts by warmongering President Vladimir Putin to start “cleaning house now” after the riot, which he admitted came close to a “civil war”, a Western government official told the FT.
Even the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, told the bloc’s summit on Thursday that “some generals have been arrested,” the FT report noted.
“So I guess Putin will be in a housekeeping mode, internally. And a more assertive frame of mind, Borrell said.
Despite mounting evidence, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was “unfortunately” unable to clarify what had happened to Surovikin.
“I recommend that you contact the Defense Ministry,” he told reporters, who also declined to discuss the matter.
However, according to the FT, Surovikin’s daughter Veronika brushed off all the fuss, saying “everything is fine” with her father.
“Honestly, no, nothing has happened to him; he’s at work,” he told Russian news outlet Baza, saying his father was never one to “appear in the media every day.”
“From what I understand, everything is flowing more or less as things normally happen,” he reportedly said. “Everyone is at their job; everything is going well.”
Lee Brown
The post Russia has detained a military chief for his possible connection to the Wagner mutiny. appeared first on MilitaryView.