According to the report, Surovikin is being held "in one place," though not in a prison. He was last seen in a video on June 24, pleading with Prigozhin to halt his mutiny and "obey the orders" of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Between October 2022 and January 2023, Surovikin commanded Russian invasion forces in Ukraine. He is believed to have initiated the strategy of launching massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in late 2022. He was subsequently removed from this post and assumed the role of the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Bloomberg notes that Surovikin was succeeded by Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov — one of the two individuals (along with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu) whom Prigozhin intended to "overthrow." Prigozhin frequently praised Surovikin while criticizing other Russian defense ministry officials.
The Financial Times previously reported that Surovikin was arrested after Prigozhin's attempted coup failed, indicating a purge of the security forces by the Kremlin regime. The general's daughter, however, denied his arrest in a statement to the Russian Telegram channel Baza.
Russian newspaper the Moscow Times, citing two sources close to Russia's defense ministry, had previously reported that Surovikin was arrested.
According to multiple sources cited by The New York Times, U.S. intelligence agencies believe Surovikin had prior knowledge of Prigozhin's mutiny.