Nicknamed “General Armageddon” for his ruthless methods, Sergei Surovikin was one of the leading commanders of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine until his sacking which was announced on Wednesday.
His good relations with the discredited Wagner mercenary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin proved to be his downfall after Wagner staged a rebellion in June and tried to topple Russia’s military command.
Surovikin vanished from public view, prompting furious speculation about his whereabouts.
And on Wednesday, after months of speculation, state media reported that he had been removed from post.
The 56-year-old — a veteran of Moscow’s wars starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan — had long been seen as Wagner’s friend in the defence ministry.
When Surovikin was named commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine in October 2022, Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov warmly welcomed the news.
In May, when Prigozhin furiously accused Russian military leaders of failing to provide him with sufficient ammunition, Surovikin was officially named as an intermediary between Wagner and the army.
Burning tensions between Wagner and the defence ministry came to a head on the night of June 23 to 24, when Prigozhin called for the toppling of Russia’s military command and sent an armoured column towards Moscow.
Surovikin then made a highly unusual video appeal.
Unshaven, scowling and with one hand resting on his right thigh, he slowly enunciated a call for Prigozhin to stop.
