Surovikin knew in advance about Prigozhin’s rebellion, - NYT
The former commander of the Russian forces invading Ukraine, General Sergey Surovikin, probably knew in advance that the leader of the "Wagner" mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin was planning a military uprising.
The New York Times writes about it, Censor.NET informs with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
"The publication's sources in American intelligence are trying to find out whether Surovikin helped plan Prigozhin's actions last weekend, which posed the most serious threat to President Vladimir Putin during his 23 years in power," the report said.
Analysts of the publication note that Surovikin helped to strengthen the defense along the front line after last year's counteroffensive of Ukraine. In January, he was replaced as supreme commander, but he retained his influence on the conduct of military operations and, as before, is popular with the troops.
American officials also said there were indications that other Russian generals may also have supported Mr. Prigozhin's attempt to forcefully change the leadership of the Defense Ministry. Current and former US officials have said that Mr Prigozhin would not have started his rebellion if he had not believed that others in various military positions would come to his aid.
"Putin must now decide, officials say, whether he believes General Surovikin helped Mr. Prigozhin and how he should respond. The FSB said it was dropping criminal charges of "armed sedition" against Prigozhin and members of his unit.
But if Putin discovers evidence that General Surovikin was directly aiding Prigozhin, he will have no choice but to remove him from command, officials and analysts say," the NYT writes.
Some former officials say Putin may decide to keep General Surovikin if he decides he had some insight into Prigozhin but did not help him. At this time, analysts say, Putin seems intent on pinning the mutiny solely on Prigozhin.
Senior US officials suggest that the alliance between General Surovikin and Prigozhin may explain why Prigozhin is still alive despite having captured a major Russian military hub and ordered an armed march on Moscow.
U.S. officials and others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the classified intelligence. They emphasized that much of what the United States and its allies know is preliminary. US officials have avoided publicly discussing the uprising for fear of reinforcing Putin's narrative that the unrest was orchestrated by the West.
However, American officials are interested in disseminating information that undermines the authority of General Surovikin, whom they consider more competent and ruthless than other members of the command. His removal will undoubtedly benefit Ukraine, whose Western-backed forces are waging a new counteroffensive in an attempt to retake territory seized by Moscow.
