Putin General Vanishes in 'Kremlin Purge' Amid Claims He Was in on Wagner Group Mutiny
June 28 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
A Russian general dubbed Vladimir Putin’s “General Armageddon” allegedly vanished from Russia in a “Kremlin purge” resulting from the botched coup over the weekend, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a startling development to come after Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a rebellion against Putin and Moscow on Saturday before turning around at the 11th hour, General Sergey Surovikin has reportedly disappeared from Russia.
Even more startling are allegations that Surovikin was linked to Prigozhin and the now-exiled mercenary chief’s failed rebellion. That is the revelation shared by the Sun this week in a report that suggested Surovikin, 56, is currently under investigation for his suspected knowledge of Wagner’s plot.
"The whereabouts of ‘General Armageddon’ is not known for certain,” the outlet reported, citing the Russian Telegram channel Rybar. "There is a version that he is under interrogation."
Meanwhile, Surovikin’s last point of communication was on Saturday when he urged Prigozhin and the 25,000 Wagner mercenaries to return to Ukraine “before it is too late.”
"We cannot play into the enemy’s hands during this hard time for our country,” Putin’s General Armageddon proclaimed. "Before it is not too late, it is necessary to obey the order of the popularly-elected president of the Russian Federation."
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s crony and spokesman, responded to the allegations that Surovikin was involved in the coup attempt but refused to confirm whether or not the swirling speculation was true.
"There will now be a lot of speculation, gossip and so on around these events,” Peskov said. “I think this is one such example.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, both Putin and Prigozhin also went missing for more than 36 hours after the botched coup attempt was called off.
Putin was suspected of fleeing to an underground bunker, while Prigozhin ultimately appeared in Belarus on Monday morning.
In his first statement since fleeing Russia for Belarus, Putin’s exiled mercenary chief claimed Saturday’s rebellion was not “to overthrow Russia’s leadership” but rather “to avoid destruction of Wagner.”
"We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership,” Prigozhin said of the botched coup.
“The aim of the march was to avoid destruction of Wagner and to hold to account the officials who through their unprofessional actions have committed a massive number of errors.”