2023-07-13 18:19:40
The Russian army is known for its taste for secrecy, but since the failed rebellion of the paramilitary group Wagner, the mysteries surrounding it accumulate even more. Between rumors of a purge, fear of a second uprising and harsh criticism, a look back at what we know through the fate of three generals.
But where did Sergei Surovikin go?
Open in full screen mode
Sergei Surovikin is one of the emblematic commanders of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. (File photo)
Photo: via Archyde.com/Russian News Agency Sputnik
Reputed to be ruthless, a veteran of the brutal wars in Chechnya (1999-2009) and Syria, Sergei Surovikin is one of the emblematic commanders of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, which he led from October 2022 to January 2023.
He is also considered close to Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigojine, who spared him in his aggressive videos targeting the Russian general staff and who even said he saw in him the only man wearing the star of a general of army that knows how to fight.
But since the failure of the rebellion, Sergei Surovikin has disappeared.
His last public appearance dates back to a video, the night of the mutiny, in which he coercedly urges Wagner’s troops to give up. He is in uniform, but without epaulets, some observers seeing this as a sign that he had already been arrested.
Indeed, according to New York Times, which cites US intelligence, General Surovikin knew about the mutiny. The Kremlin denies these remarks and affirms that the man is officially still in office. But the most diverse rumors circulate, from the arrest to the simple layoff.
On Wednesday, the head of the Defense Committee of the Russian Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, revived the conjectures in cryptic terms: Surovikin is resting, he is unavailable at the moment, he claimed.
Ivan Popov, reprimanded for mentioning losses?
Open in full screen mode
Major General Ivan Popov, June 9, 2023
Photo: via Archyde.com / Ministry of Defense of Russia
In an audio message revealed Wednesday evening, Major-General Ivan Popov claims to have been suspended from his duties for having harshly alerted the high command to the difficulties encountered in Ukraine, in particular the heavy human losses and the lack of advanced equipment.
The Ukrainian forces could not break through our army from the front, and we were hit from behind by our main commander, who cowardly decapitated the army at the most difficult moment, he continues, seeming to aim at the leader of General Staff, General Gerasimov.
According to the Telegram channel Gray Zone, followed by more than 500,000 subscribers, he would have indeed accused Popov of misinformation and alarmism upon learning of the report.
Ivan Popov, however, is not just anyone: he leads the 58th Russian army, considered one of the most valuable in combat and positioned in the Ukrainian region of Zaporijia, where it suffered the counter-offensive from Kiev.
Moscow does not like to see this dirty laundry washed in public. Originally intended for private military chatter, the general’s message was broadcast by an MP, who was reprimanded by a United Russia party official for turning the row into a political spectacle.
Oleg Tsokov, dead or alive?
Open in full screen mode
Russian state television and pro-Kremlin bloggers say Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov died in a targeted strike on July 11, 2023, but the Kremlin has yet to confirm this report. (File photo)
Photo : Kremlin.ru via Wikipedia
Was Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov killed on July 11 by a Ukrainian strike on a hotel far from the front, near Berdiansk, an occupied city in southern Ukraine?
In the immediate future, it is unlikely that the Russian army will confirm the death, but it is claimed by Russian public television and pro-Kremlin military bloggers, crucial sources of reliable information in the absence of commentary. Moscow officials.
This new death of a general, in a targeted strike, aroused a salvo of criticism. It’s sad to say, but the quality of the enemy’s intelligence is superior to ours, commented the Zapiski Veterana channel.
Blogger Rybar, followed by 1.2 million subscribers, sharply criticized the Russian high command for doing nothing, while the existence of sleeper cells informing Kiev from the occupied territories and satellite spy capabilities Western allies of Ukraine are known.
Everyone knows, everyone is informed, but no action is taken, he added.
1689279964
#Disappearance #dismissal #Russian #army #Wagner #mutiny #War #Ukraine