General Surovikin knew about Prigozhin’s planned mutiny - NYT

The deputy commander of the grouping of Russian troops in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, knew about Yevgeny Prigozhin's plans to stage a rebellion. about this The New York Times writes , citing sources close to American intelligence.

Washington is now trying to understand whether Surovikin participated in the development of Prigozhin's plan, the newspaper notes. NYT sources say other generals may have supported Prigozhin's attempt to change the country's military leadership. American intelligence believes that Prigozhin would not have started a rebellion without supporters in the Ministry of Defense.

“If Surovikin had been involved in the events of the past weekend, this would be the last sign of the strife that has characterized the Russian military leadership since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. This could be indicative of a wider split between Prigozhin and Putin supporters.

The interlocutors of the publication also note that if Putin finds out that Surovikin supported the rebellion, he will be removed from command. This, according to American intelligence, will benefit the Ukrainian army, which launched a counteroffensive.

On June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that the Ministry of Defense launched a missile attack on the rear camps of Wagner PMCs. He called Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu a "creature" and urged "to restore justice in Russia." The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for preparing an armed rebellion.

On June 24, after negotiations with Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin said that he was deploying his columns "according to the plan." He, according to him, did not reach Moscow for about 200 kilometers. On June 27, the criminal case against Prigozhin was dropped .

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