Removed While Leading the War in Ukraine, Now Russian 'Armageddon' General Fired from Position: Related to the Wagner Rebellion?

Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Chief of Russian Military Staff General Valery Gerasimov, President Vladimir Putin and General Sergei Surovikin. (Wikimedia Commons/ good luck

JAKARTA - The head of the Russian Aerospace Forces, General Sergei Surovikin, has again attracted attention, after news of his removal from the position he occupied circulated, after not being seen for a long time after the half-hearted uprising of the Wagner Group.

A prominent Russian journalist said Tuesday that the general nicknamed 'Armageddon', who once commanded Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, was removed from his post as Chief of the Aerospace Forces.

There was no official confirmation of the report from Alexei Venediktov, the former head of the now defunct Ekho Moskvy radio station. In his Telegram channel, he said the removal was carried out by official decision, although he did not elaborate further.

RBC media on Tuesday also reported Surovikin had been dismissed, citing its own sources.

"General Sergei Surovikin has been relieved of his post in connection with the transition to another job and is under the control of the (Ministry of Defense)," RBC said, citing Reuters, August 23.

General Surovikin (left) with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (center). (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Executive Office of Russia)

One of the newspaper's sources said Surovikin "is currently on short-term leave."

However, he has not been seen in public since the half-hearted mutiny of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group last June. In a video shown during the uprising, he urges Prigozhin to withdraw his troops.

Quoting Politico, General Surovikin said in a report that he already knew about Prighozin's plans for an uprising. Meanwhile, citing Pravda, General Surovikin was detained by the Russian counterintelligence service in connection with the uprising led by Prigozhin.

On July 13, The Wall Street Journal, citing multiple sources, reported that Russian intelligence services detained at least 12 high-ranking military officers, including General Sergei Surovikin, in connection with Yevgeny Prigozhin's uprising. It said about 15 officers had been suspended or sacked.

General Surovikin has been in command of the Russian Aerospace Forces since October 31, 2017. In October 2022 - January 2023, he commanded the joint group of Russian forces in Ukraine. He was replaced by Russia's top military general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, then serving as deputy commander from January 11, 2023.

General Surovikin (blue uniform). (Wikimedia Commons/Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации)

Separately, the Washington, DC-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Tuesday Russian military bloggers said news of General Surovikin's fate was neither new nor surprising.

"The alleged dismissal of Surovikin is nothing new and changes nothing, as the Russian authorities removed Surovikin from power soon after Prigozhin's uprising on June 24," the bloggers said, according to ISW, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

General Surovikin's closeness to Prigozhin is no secret. In an exchange of scathing criticism with the Russian Defense Ministry prior to the uprising, Prigozhin said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu should be replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev. Meanwhile, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov had to be replaced by Sergei Surovikin, after warning his country could face a revolution similar to that of 1917 and lose the conflict in Ukraine, unless the elites seriously went to war last May.

In June, when the Ministry of Defense ordered all volunteer detachments or the like to sign contracts with the ministry by July 1 for increased effectiveness, Prigozhin firmly said Wagner would not sign anything.

"Wagner will not sign any contract with Shoigu," Prigozhin said in response to a request for comment on the matter.

At that time, Prigozhin said, Wagner fully submitted to the interests of Russia. However, his highly efficient command structure would be broken by reporting to the Shoigu.

"Shoigu cannot properly manage military formations," said Prigozhin, adding that Wagner coordinated his actions in Ukraine with General Sergei Surovikin

It is known that General Surovikin received the nickname "General Armageddon" during the Russian military campaign in the civil war in Syria.