For the first time since the upheaval involving Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), Army General Sergei Surovikin has broken his silence. The general was recently spotted by journalists near a church in the vicinity of Moscow, where he was visiting with his family.
When questioned about his current assignment, Surovikin tersely responded, “I serve the country,” and declined to elaborate further. His reticence to speak has only fueled ongoing speculation about his role and whereabouts.
A report from the Kommersant newspaper dated September 15 cited an anonymous source close to the military leader, revealing that Surovikin had embarked on a trip to Algeria as part of a delegation from Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The source emphasized that Surovikin continues to enjoy the utmost confidence at the highest echelons of power. The source also hinted that Surovikin might be considered for a role that involves operations in the Eastern direction.
The publication’s interlocutor emphasized that the general “remains trusted at the highest level” and did not exclude that he could be appointed to “a position that will be related to work in the Eastern direction.”
On September 12, a photo with Surovikin was published on the Facebook account of the Abd al-Hamid Ben Badis mosque in Oran*. The photo shows a general in civilian clothes. The message accompanying the photo said the “high-ranking Russian delegation” visiting the mosque was received by its director of religious affairs and endowments and the imam.
As a former “Wagnerian” from one of the African countries told RTVI at the time, Surovikin had to convince the representatives of the PMC with his authority to work under the command of new people from the Russian military department.
Adding another layer to the intrigue, a photograph of Surovikin was posted on the Facebook page of the Abd al-Hamid Ben Badis mosque in Oran, Algeria, on September 12. The image depicted the general in civilian attire and indicated that he was part of a “high-ranking Russian delegation” received by the mosque’s director of religious affairs and its imam.
A former member of the Wagner PMC, hailing from an African nation, informed RTVI that Surovikin had leveraged his authority to persuade PMC representatives to accept new leadership from the Russian military department.
Surovikin had been conspicuously absent from the public eye since late June, around the time of an attempted insurrection led by Prigozhin and his Wagner PMC. During that period, Surovikin had issued a plea to the rebels, urging them to cease their actions and submit to the authority of the nation’s leaders.
Subsequent to his disappearance, various theories emerged, suggesting that Surovikin had been detained and questioned about his purported support for the rebellion. By the end of August, multiple Russian media outlets and telegram channels reported that Surovikin had been relieved of his duties as the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
This was further corroborated when RIA Novosti cited an unnamed source claiming that Colonel General Viktor Afzalov had been appointed as the Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces. The Ministry of Defense has yet to issue an official statement on these personnel changes.
In a more personal update, journalist Ksenia Sobchak posted a photograph of Surovikin and his wife on her Telegram channel on September 4, stating that the general was “at home, with his family, in Moscow.”
Just two days later, it was discovered that all information pertaining to Surovikin had been removed from the Ministry of Defense’s website. Viktor Zavarzin, a member of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, downplayed the situation, stating that the general had been reassigned to a “favorable” position within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Last October, Surovikin was designated as the commander of a joint group of forces in Russia’s military operational zone in Ukraine. However, following a reshuffle in January 2023, Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov assumed this role, and Surovikin was appointed as his deputy. A note from RBC in August indicated that Surovikin had ceased to be the deputy commander of the operation in Ukraine after being removed from his previous post.
