Russia’s most senior generals have disappeared from public view after a failed mercenary uprising intended to topple the top brass. According to rumors, one person has been taken into custody.
General Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian armed forces, has not been seen in public or on official television since Saturday, when mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin requested he be given over following an attempted mutiny. Also, since June 9th, no press statement from the Ministry of Defense has referenced him.
General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, is also not visible.
Surovikin had supported Prigozhin, but Western intelligence was uncertain as to whether or not he had assisted the rebellion.
The Moscow Times and a military blogger reported Surovikin’s detention, while other prominent Russian military reporters claimed the FSB security service was questioning him and other high-ranking officers to test their loyalty.
Rybar, an influential Telegram channel managed by a former Russian defense ministry press officer, reported that a purge was in progress. Some members of the armed forces apparently did little to oust Wagner fighters in the beginning phases of the rebellion, and he said the authorities were attempting to weed out those who had shown “a lack of decisiveness” in putting down the mutiny.
If confirmed, this would change Russia’s war strategy in Ukraine and shake up Russia’s ranks.
The defense ministry issued no official statement regarding the situation.