the russian general Sergei Surokivin, who led military actions in the invasion of Ukraine, has been arrested, according to ‘The Moscow Times’, which cites two anonymous sources close to the Ministry of Defence. The high office of putin was identified that same day by US intelligence reports as a man close to the leader of the group WagnerYevgeny Prigozhin, to the point that he could have known about his rebellion plans staged this weekend.
“The matter with him was not OK. For the authorities. I can’t say more,” said one of the sources quoted by the independent Russian media. According to the other source, “apparently he (Surovikin) chose (Wagner’s) side and they grabbed him by the balls“. However, he refused to reveal the whereabouts of the Russian general, stating that “it is information that is not discussed here or on internal channels.”
Sergei Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since last Saturday, is the head of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Moscow’s former Supreme Commander in Ukraine, and has been publicly regarded by Prigozhin as a “legendary figure”.
The known links between Surovikin and Prigozhin have left the Russian general in a vulnerable situation at a time when the rumors of purges and investigations surrounding the Wagner mutiny They have shot up in the last few hours. However, Surovikin expressed his rejection of the actions of the leader of the mercenary group and stood by Putin’s government in the first hours of the crisis.
No extradition to the US
The Russian authorities have recalled this Wednesday that no Russian citizen is subject to extradition to another country, thus ruling out the possibility that the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeni Prigozhin, could be sent to the United States to be held accountable for the crimes of which he he is accused.
“Any Russian citizen (…) has the right to count on Russia’s assistance to protect him in illegal attempts to bring him to criminal responsibility abroad,” said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zajarova, when questioned by the possibility of Prigozhin being extradited to the United States.
The spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, acknowledged yesterday that Washington would like to see the leader of the Wagner Group before US courts facing the “crimes of which he is accused” both in Ukraine and in Africa. , where the organization is present.
The Wagner Group, led by Prigozhin, began a rebellion late on Friday with the capture of the Russian city of Rostov, headquarters of the southern command of the Army, with the intention of heading towards Moscow to ask for explanations from the Ministry of Defense for allegedly killing his men in a bombing.
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In full conflict with the Kremlin and a few hundred kilometers from Moscow, the convoy turned around on Saturday afternoon thanks to the mediation of the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, in an agreement to stop the revolt, amnesty the mercenaries and send Prigozhin into exile in Belarus.
Questioned about this matter, reports Europa Press, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova He has stressed that Russia will resolve the situation with Prigozhin and his mercenaries “without external comment.” “Those who wanted to express their support, expressed it; those who wanted to help, helped. We will remember all this, we take note and we will not forget it,” he said.