Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has removed Army General Sergey Surovikin from his post of Air Force Commander, Russian media reported on Aug. 22. The general was also the deputy commander of the Russian invasion forces in Ukraine.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has removed Army General Sergey Surovikin from his post of Air Force Commander, Russian media reported on Aug. 22. The general was also the deputy commander of the Russian invasion forces in Ukraine.
Sudden onset of late stage cancer. They'll lock him away in a hospital. If he gets mouthy they'll state that his medical condition is impairing his mental stability and they'll put him in a psychiatric ward so that he can't say anything until he dies.
It's been done many times before. The practice of using psychiatry as a tool of oppression started in USSR and never stopped. Same people are in charge.
... I guess Putin didn't hear the facts he wanted to hear.
I thought the same thing about Prigozhin, but somehow he's still kicking. Either Putin is just biding his time or he doesn't have the ability to just whack anyone he doesn't like anymore.
Unless Wagner publicly denounces or executes Prigozhin, Putin wouldn't dare touch him. He needs that meat for the grinder and those guys obviously have all the kompromat about Russian ordered Wagner actions around the world.
Remember, they aren't just active in Ukraine, they have deployments all over the world. And up until now, Russia used them for plausible deniability actions.
Wagner probably carried out quite a few of these "mysterious suicides" Putin opponents have been running into.
On the plus side, even if they replace him with someone more competent there's still the inherent disruption that comes from the leadership churn. The new guy will need to learn the ropes right in the middle of everything exploding.
And if he's competent enough, he becomes a threat to Putin. Rinse and repeat.
Correct me, if I'm wrong (seriously, I suck at names), but wasn't Surovikin the guy Pirghozyn wanted put in charge? He was pushing for a replacement for Shoigu, and said Surovikin was the only competent one left?