Russian President Vladimir Putin's goons are "interrogating" an officer known as "General Armageddon" after the United States alleged he supported Prigozhin's doomed Wagner uprising.
General Sergei Surovikin was reportedly being interrogated in connection with a conspiracy to depose defense minister Sergei Shoigu and had advanced knowledge of the armed revolt that threatened Vladimir Putin's regime over the weekend.
Russia Detains Former Top Commander
Surovikin, who is 56 years old, is the second-in-command of the Russian military. He has known ties to the Wagner mercenary army commander, 'coup leader' Yevgeny Prigozhin.
US officials briefed on American intelligence say a senior Russian general was aware of Prigozhin's plans to rebel against Shoigu and chief of the armed forces General Valery Gerasimov over failures in the conflict against Ukraine.
According to sources within the Defense Department, Surovikin has been arrested, the Moscow Times reported later. However, according to the source, the situation's specifics are not extensively discussed internally, and the department has not yet issued an official statement.
Per Daily Mail, this general is suspected to be Surovikin, a notoriously ruthless commander who has historically been characterized as one of the more "Wagner-friendly" Russian military leaders.
Experts have cautioned that the United States has a vested interest in undermining Surovikin, who is regarded as highly competent and ruthless, with the disclosures causing more chaos for the Kremlin during the Ukrainian conflict.
According to the well-connected pro-war Rybar Telegram channel, Surovikin "has not been seen since Saturday." In a separate report, it was stated that Putin was too afraid to dismiss his "extremely hazardous" defense minister because he feared him as a direct rival.
The weakened dictator eventually put an end to the armed uprising that targeted Shoigu for his failures in the conflict over the weekend. VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, citing an insider source, reported that Putin could not consent to Prigozhin's demand to dismiss the 68-year-old defense minister due to Shoigu's appeal among senior officials.
Shoigu has been in the Russian government longer than Putin and is aware of where the corpses are interred.
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Lukashenko Persuades Putin Not to 'Wipe Out' Wagner Chief
Per The Independent, the defense ministry has not yet issued an official statement regarding the alleged detention of 'General Armageddon,' who has not been seen in public since last Saturday when Wagner's commander launched an armed rebellion against Vladimir Putin.
In response to what the Kremlin characterized as a mutiny, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Vladimir Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner mercenary commander.
In describing his conversation with Putin on Saturday, the Belarusian president used the Russian criminal vernacular term for murder, which is equivalent to the English phrase "to wipe out."
According to Ukrainian authorities, twin girls and a child are among the 12 persons slain by a supersonic Iskander missile strike on a restaurant in the city of Kramatorsk. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko asserts he persuaded Vladimir Putin not to "eradicate" mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin during last weekend's brief mutiny.
Putin initially swore to suppress the mutiny, but hours later, an agreement was reached to enable the Wagner leader and some of his fighters to travel to Belarus, where he landed on Tuesday.
Lukashenko, an old ally of Prigozhin and a close ally of Putin, asserted that he had advised the Russian president to think "beyond our own noses" and warned that Prigozhin's death could spark a widespread revolt among his fighters, adding that his own army could benefit from the experience of Wagner troops.
