Besides Surovikin, Moscow detained 13 high-ranking officers – report
Deputy Commander of the Russian occupation army in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin (Photo:Russian Ministry of Defense / Handout via REUTERS)
Following the June 24 mutiny by the Wagner Group
private military company (PMC), Russian security forces have detained
13 high-ranking military officers for questioning, The Wall Street Journal reported
on July 13, citing anonymous sources.
The report confirms that the commander of the Russian Air Force, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, continues to be held in custody.
The WSJ states that at least 13 senior officers were detained for questioning, some of whom were later released. Their sources further suggest that around 15 officials have been suspended or dismissed from service.
"The detentions are about cleaning the ranks of those who it is believed can’t be trusted anymore," one source said.
According to the report, Surovikin is under detention in Moscow – not in a pretrial detention center – and has been interrogated repeatedly about his involvement in the mutiny. A source informed the WSJ that Surovikin was aware of Wagner’s plans but did not participate in them. It is believed that the general might be released when Russian dictator Vladimir Putin determines how to deal with the fallout from the mutiny.
The WSJ also reports that, Gen. Col. Andrey Yudin, Surovikin's deputy, and Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy chief of military intelligence, were detained. It is reported that they have been later released but are under restricted movement and surveillance. Yudin and Alekseyev have reportedly been suspended from work.
The report also mentions the detention of former Lt. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, who served as Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and led the assault on Mariupol at the onset of the full-scale war. Since April 2023, he had been employed by the Wagner PMC.
Days following the short-lived Prigozhin mutiny, The New York Times reported that Surovikin may have been aware of Wagner’s plans and could have even supported the mutineers. The Moscow Times confirmed Surovikin's arrest on June 28.
On June 29, the Financial Times corroborated the report, saying that Surovikin has been detained and questioned by the FSB.
On July 12, UK Defense Intelligence highlighted additional evidence suggesting Surovikin's isolation, specifically his absence from a meeting with Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and his deputy, Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, General Viktor Afzalov.
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