American intelligence believed that General Sergei Surovikin knew about Prigozhin’s plans to organize a military coup.
Russian General Sergei Surovikin knew about the plans of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to start a rebellion in Russia. The New York Times writes about it, citing American officials. The alliance between Surovikin and the PMC founder explains why Prigozhin is still alive, media sources say. At the same time, Washington is now trying to find out if the Russian general helped the Wagnerites.
After the article was published in the American edition, the Kremlin reacted very quickly to this information. The Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskvo, traditionally stated that this was “speculation and rumor.”
Support for Wagner
According to the newspaper, Surovikin knew about Wagner’s plans, but it is not clear from this information whether the general helped plan the actions of Prigozhin’s mercenaries in Rostov-on-Don, where the headquarters of the Southern Military District.
US officials also said there were indications that some other Russian generals may have supported an attempt to forcefully change the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry. Current and former US officials believe that Prigozhin would not have started his rebellion if he did not believe that others in power would help him.
According to New York Times sources, Putin must now decide whether he believes Surovikin was informed of Prigozhin’s plans and decide how to respond. US officials suggest that a possible alliance between Surovikin and Prigozhin explains Putin’s willingness to give the militant leader a chance to back down.
However, American officials, according to the newspaper, admitted their interest in weakening the authority of General Surovikin, whom they considered more capable and ruthless than other members of the command. Its elimination will undoubtedly benefit Ukraine, according to Washington.
long friendship
Officially, Surovikin spoke out against Prigozhin’s revolt. He recorded a video in which he called on Russian troops in Ukraine to stay in their positions and not join the uprising.
But a former US official called the message similar to a “hostage video.” According to him, the speech of the general’s body indicated that he was not comfortable condemning a former ally who shares his views on the Russian military leadership, the New York Times wrote.
There were other signs of divided loyalties in the upper ranks. Another Russian lieutenant general, Vladimir Alekseev, made his own video message, calling any actions against the Russian state “a stab in the back of the country and the president.” But a few hours later, he appeared in another video talking to Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner fighters seized military installations.
“There are too many strange things that have happened that, in my opinion, indicate the existence of a conspiracy that we have not yet thought about,” Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, commented on the situation.
Recall that Prigozhin worked with Surovikin during Russia’s military intervention in Syria. Then the leader of Wagner described the general as “the most capable commander of the Russian army.” American officials believe that Surovikin did not support Putin’s removal from power, but seems to agree with Prigozhin’s position regarding Shoigu and Gerasimov.
The Kremlin’s reaction
After the article was published in the New York Times, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Sergei Peskov responded to this information. He asserted that “the Russian army and the people are united around Putin,” and that the publication’s article is “speculation and rumor.”
At the same time, the Russian so-called “military commissar” Romanov said that Surovikin had been in prison since June 25. According to the propagandist, the general was detained in Lefortovo, but he did not say why he was being held.
It should be noted, according to the Dossier Center, General Sergei Surovikin has been an honorary member of the Wagner Air Force since 2017.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.