General Sergei Surovikin was aware of the Wagner group’s plans before the events of the past weekend. As reported by The New York Times, according to a group of US officials, General Surovikin may have helped Prigozhin plan his uprising. US intelligence officials continue to try to confirm Surovikin’s involvement and his participation in negotiations with Vladimir Putin to stop the Wagner revolt.
General Surovikin is a recognized military leader who participated in the counteroffensive against Ukraine last year. In January 2023, he was replaced as senior commander, but he is still executing warfare operations and remains popular with the troops.
US officials have claimed that there are indications that more Russian military officers and generals supported Prigozhin’s plan to remove the Russian Defense Ministry by force. These same sources explain that Prigozhin would not have been able to develop his plan without the support of other officers in positions of power.
If General Surovikin was involved in the events of the past weekend, it would be a confirmation of the internal differences in the Russian army and in its relationship with Putin. These differences have accompanied the country’s military leadership since the beginning of the War in Ukraine. Therefore, it is possible that Surovikin’s involvement indicates a greater break between those who supported Prigozhin and those who favored Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, Putin’s two top military advisers.
According to the informant officials, Putin must now decide whether he believes the accusations implicating General Surovikin are true. According to these sources, if Putin receives evidence of the general’s involvement in the coup attempt, he will automatically remove him from office. Still, it’s likely that if Putin doesn’t find Surovikin guilty, he can keep him in his post as one of his trusted officers. For now, the Russian leader continues to blame only Prigozhin for the events of June 23 and 24, 2023.
Some sources have pointed out that one of the reasons Prigozhin is still alive is because there is an alliance between the founder of Wagner and General Surovikin. However, the general spoke publicly about the Wagner revolt last Friday in a video. Through this video, Surovikin asked the Russian troops not to join Wagner’s revolt and to remain faithful to his positions. However, a US official has suggested that the general may have been held hostage and forced to speak on camera. According to these sources, Surovikin’s body language suggests that he is uncomfortable denouncing the leader of the revolt, who was his former partner.
Prigozhin coincided with Surovikin during the Russian military intervention in Syria, describing him as “the most capable commander”. Both Surovikin and Prigozhin had disagreements with Shoigu over the implementation of military tactics in Ukraine. Therefore, both military leaders have shared the same views over the years.
General Surovikin did not last long in his position as director of military operations in Ukraine. He was ousted and replaced by Gerasimov almost a month after being appointed to the post. His possible involvement in the Wagner group’s revolt complicates the resolution of the military crisis after the Wagner revolt.
Questioned today by journalists about Surovikin’s involvement, the official Kremlin spokesman, Dimtry Peskov, responded that there is “a lot of speculation” after the events last weekend.
