Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ mysteriously vanishes as Putin plots punishment
A number one Russian military official generally known as General Armageddon has been lacking for the reason that Wagner Group‘s mutiny in late June.
General Sergei Surovikin, who rose to fame due to his aggressive techniques in Syria and Chechnya, was allegedly positioned underneath “house arrests” after expressing assist for Evgeny Prigozhin’s tried coup earlier in the summertime.
Surovikin’s final confirmed look was in a video wherein he urged Prigozhin’s males to face down.
The common was identified to have relationship with the Wagner chief and US intelligence later instructed he had earlier data of his intentions.
The former ally of Vladimir Putin performed a pivotal function within the invasion of Ukraine because the mastermind behind the so-called Surovikin Line, a collective of defensive traces aimed toward hindering Ukraine‘s efforts to advance into occupied territory.
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A senior Russian official claimed final month that Surovikin had been “resting” after preliminary questions started to be raised about his whereabouts.
But the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU this week claimed the overall was “under a kind of house arrest” whereas Putin thought-about potential punishments.
The channel moderator claimed Surovikin “cannot leave his home” and was subjected to “uncomfortable questions” regardless of the dearth of an official investigation into his conduct.
The report additionally alleged that the general’s family had been urged to avoid the spotlight to make sure Surovikin is “forgotten” by Putin.
The Russian common’s destiny “must be [decided] by one person and the longer this takes, the more this person will cool down”, in accordance with the moderator.
Days after the mutiny, stories started to emerge suggesting Surovikin had been arrested due to his closeness to Prigozhin and for allegedly supporting the mutiny.
War blogger Vladimir Romanov additionally claimed he had been arrested on June 25 – the day after the Wagner chief stood down his males.
Russian officers have to date not confirmed Surovkin’s arrest and have refused to touch upon the place he’s presently situated.
Following the tried coup, Putin successfully banished Prigozhin to Belarus however the mercenary leader has since been spotted again in Russia.
Last month, he was pictured on the Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg assembly attendees, and his non-public jet has been repeatedly noticed flying again into Russia.
His males had been ordered to additionally arrange base in Belarus if not actively engaged in Ukraine however stories emerged final week suggesting Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko had ordered them back across the border.
Countries bordering Belarus have elevated border safety since hundreds of Wagner fighters arrived in Russian-allied Belarus underneath his cope with Prigozhin.
In latest days, Poland has been deploying hundreds of troops to its border with Belarus, calling it a deterrent transfer as tensions between the 2 neighbors ratchet up.
And Lithuania on Wednesday determined to briefly close two of its six checkpoints with Belarus amid growing tensions with its eastern neighbour.
“The main goal is to temporarily suspend operations at these two points from August 18,” deputy minister of transport Agnė Vaiciukeviciūte mentioned, including that the transfer provided the potential of directing officers performing border management checks to different factors.
Lithuania, a Baltic nation that declared its independence from the Soviet Union 33 years in the past, is a democracy that belongs to NATO and the European Union.
It has been a powerful backer of Ukraine and a spot of refuge in recent times for a lot of who’ve fled an authoritarian crackdown in neighbouring Belarus and elevated repression in Russia.