Putin freezes out senior generals
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner group’s leader, was planning to capture Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s general staff chief Valery Gerasimov, Western officials told the WSJ. Prigozhin reportedly counted on support from Russia’s army when preparing Saturday’s aborted march on Moscow – it was also reported yesterday that Sergei Surovikin, a senior Russian general, knew about Wagner’s plans in advance. In the end, Surovikin was the first person to condemn the rebellion in a video address. Did he initially support Prigozhin – or tap into his trust and then leak the information? The Kremlin played down the reports yesterday, calling them speculation and gossip. But it’s worth noting that neither Gerasimov nor Surovikin have been seen in public since Saturday – with some reports claiming Surovikin has been arrested – while Putin has been rewarding loyalists with promotions.
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