"Honorary exile"? Surovikin will take Prigozhin’s place on the Dark Continent

General Sergei Surovikin, who disappeared from public space back in June after the mutiny of the Wagner PMC, is now in Algeria as part of the delegation of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Kommersant reports this, citing a source close to the general. Carrying out sensitive tasks on the Dark Continent instead of Prigozhin could become a form of “honorable exile.” In the photo, the disgraced general appeared in uniform without insignia. The publication’s source notes:

“It is obvious that Surovikin remains trusted at the highest level, and it is possible that the general’s trip may be connected with his possible appointment to a position that will be related to work in the eastern direction,” the newspaper’s source said. He explained the general’s trip to Algeria by the fact that “the military-political leadership of the country attaches great importance to the eastern direction in the implementation of foreign policy.”

General Andrei Gurulev, a member of the State Duma Committee on Defense, said that “time will tell” whether Surovikin will be able to realize his potential in Africa, writes BB.LV.

At the end of August, RBC sources and journalist Alexey Venediktov (recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent) reported that Surovikin had been relieved of his post as commander of the Aerospace Forces. According to them, he was left at the disposal of the Ministry of Defense, and his dismissal was due to a “transition to another job.” After being removed from his post as commander of the Aerospace Forces, Surovikin ceased to be deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, one of RBC’s interlocutors said. This information has not been officially confirmed, the publication notes.

Surovikin was appointed commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces in November 2017 by decree of President Vladimir Putin. From October 2022 to January 2023 he led a joint group of troops in the area of ​​the so-called “military special operation” in Ukraine. In January, he was fired from this position by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov was appointed head of the joint group of troops in Ukraine instead of Surovikin.

Our publication wrote earlier that, while preparing the rebellion, the Wagnerites managed to accumulate a large amount of ammunition, fuel and equipment. Western intelligence suggests that Prigozhin announced his intentions some Russian high-ranking military personnel, in particular, the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin. During well-known events, the general recorded a video message in which he publicly condemned the actions of the “Wagnerites” and called on the PMC fighters to return to their places of deployment.

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