Questions Surrounding the Fate of the Russian Deputy Commander of Operations

A deputy from the ruling party in Russia announced today, Wednesday, that the Deputy Commander of Russian Military Operations in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, who has not appeared in public since the mutiny of the Wagner Group last month, is "on leave." Andrei Kartapolov, the chairman of the Defense Committee in the Russian State Duma, stated in a video posted on social media that "Surovikin is currently on leave. (He is) not available at this time." The last time Surovikin was publicly seen was in a video where he urged an end to the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23 and 24. Surovikin is known in the Russian press as "General Armageddon" because of his violent plans in the Syrian war. He is believed to have good relations with Wagner and Prigozhin, who praised the general while regularly criticizing the Russian military leadership, particularly Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, regarding their handling of the war in Ukraine. A report from The New York Times, based on information from U.S. intelligence last month, indicated that Surovikin was aware of the mutiny in advance and that Russian authorities are investigating his potential involvement. Some Russian and international media reported last month that Surovikin had been arrested, but there has been no official confirmation on that, and the Kremlin has declined to answer questions regarding him. The mutiny, which Russian President Vladimir Putin described as potentially leading to a civil war in Russia, posed the greatest challenge to the Kremlin's authority since he took power 23 years ago.