In the aftermath of the Wagner Group’s failed mutiny targeting Russian military leadership, two senior commanders have reportedly disappeared from public view, raising concerns and speculation about their whereabouts and the repercussions of the rebellion.

One of the missing commanders is a general who allegedly got arrested following Yevgeny Prigozhin’s decision to call off the short-lived rebellion and relocate his forces to Belarus. Prigozhin’s audacious attempt, known as the “march for justice” on Moscow, posed a significant challenge to the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who now seeks to reestablish his authority.

The other missing figure is Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who has neither made public appearances nor appeared on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday. Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov’s surrender during the rebellion. Moreover, Gerasimov has not been mentioned in any defense ministry press releases since June 9, according to Reuters. Gerasimov, aged 67, leads Russia’s invasion force in Ukraine and is believed to be one of three Russian commanders entrusted with “nuclear briefcases,” according to some Western military analysts. Additionally, Deputy Commander Gen. Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon,” is also reportedly missing, with unconfirmed reports suggesting he was arrested on Sunday, as reported by The Moscow Times.

The possibility of Surovikin’s arrest was initially raised by military blogger Vladimir Romanov, who claimed that the deputy commander was taken into custody a day after Wagner mercenary troops, led by Prigozhin, briefly rebelled against Russian military leadership. The New York Times also reported that Surovikin had prior knowledge of Prigozhin’s plans to rebel, prompting U.S. officials to investigate whether Surovikin played a role in supporting Prigozhin. The Kremlin downplayed these reports, dismissing them as speculative gossip.

Rybar, an influential Telegram channel run by a former Russian defense ministry press officer, suggested that a purge was underway within the Russian Armed Forces. According to Rybar, top military officials are targeting personnel perceived as displaying a lack of decisiveness in suppressing the rebellion. Allegedly, Wagner fighters encountered little resistance from Russia’s armed forces in the initial stages of the mutiny. “The armed insurgency by the Wagner private military company has become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces,” Rybar stated, as reported by Reuters.

Gerasimov’s absence during Putin’s address, where the Russian president thanked the army for averting a civil war, did not go unnoticed. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a long-time Putin ally whom Prigozhin accused of corruption and incompetence in the Ukrainian conflict, was present. Surovikin, Gerasimov’s deputy, has not been seen since his appearance in a video urging Prigozhin to halt the mutiny. Some Western analysts speculated that Surovikin appeared exhausted and potentially spoke under duress. The general gained notoriety in 1991 for ordering Russian soldiers to fire upon protesting civilians in Moscow during the final months of the Soviet Union. He reportedly displayed a similar level of brutality when Putin deployed him to Syria in 2017, allegedly ordering indiscriminate bombings in Aleppo and other anti-government strongholds.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)