Surovikin released from custody after Prigozhin's death – NYT

Tuesday, 5 September 2023, 10:36

Detained Russian general Sergei Surovikin had been released several days after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner group leader, in a plane crash.

Source: The New York Times, referring to American officials and a source close to the Russian Defence Ministry

Details: As two US officials and a person close to the Russian Defence Ministry reported, Surovikin was released. This happened a few days after the death of Prigozhin in a plane crash. At the same time, it is unclear whether there are any restrictions on his movement.

One source of the media reports that the general has retained his rank and is technically still an officer, but he has no career prospects.

Sources of the NYT believe that he was informed in advance about Wagner's mutiny.

The NYT also mentioned a photo with Surovikin, which was made public on Monday by Russian journalists. It shows the general wearing sunglasses, a hat and a buttoned-up shirt walking outside next to his wife against the backdrop of an ivy-covered wall.

Photo: Ksenia Sobchak's Telegram channel Krovavaya Barynya (Bloody Lady)

Background:

  • On 12 July, Russian mass media reported that Surovikin was detained by counterintelligence in connection with Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny.
  • Earlier, the Russian FSB announced the closure of the case regarding Prigozhin's mutiny in Russia.
  • However, Surovikin, who was repeatedly linked to Prigozhin by the Western media, has not appeared in public since addressing the Wagnerites on the night of 23-24 June, in which he called on them to lay down their arms.
  • Bloomberg also wrote that the general was interrogated for several days by military prosecutors about his connections with Prigozhin. The source of the agency claimed that Surovikin is being held "in one place", but he is not in prison.

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