The deputy commander of Russian troops in Ukraine reportedly has been arrested as President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin attempt to regain control of the military following the global embarrassment wrought by last week's failed coup.
The Moscow Times, citing two sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry, said Gen. Sergei Surovikin is suspected of prior knowledge of the insurrection, and possibly of aiding it. And pro-war Russian military blogger Vladimir Romanov wrote that Surovikin was detained Sunday, the day after Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin abandoned his high-stakes mutiny. Romanov claimed that Surovikin, also known as "General Armageddon," is being held in Moscow's infamous, 140-year-old Lefortovo Prison.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who earlier this week dismissed reports of Surovikin's possible involvement as speculation and gossip, on Thursday declined to comment on Surovikin's whereabouts. He directed questions to the Defense Ministry, which has yet to release a statement on the general's fate.
Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, wrote on Telegram that Surovikin has not been in contact with his family for three days and that his guards are not responsive.
A prominent, pro-Kremlin military blogger says the insurgency has prompted “large-scale purges” within the military leadership and that the Defense Ministry is conducting a loyalty “crash test." Mikhail Zvinchuk said on his popular Telegram channelRybar that one litmus test that can now spell doom for officers is support for private military companies such as Wagner Group.
'Final act of Putin's reign': 'Final act of Putin's reign': Details of chaotic Russian coup emerging
Developing:
∎ Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Ukraine will not receive "any shortcuts" to joining the European Union and must fulfil all the criteria for starting accession negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he expects to meet the standards by year's end.
∎ Large-scale special exercises have begun to prepare for a potential Russian attack on the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the state nuclear energy agency Energoatom said. Authorities fear Russian troops could cause severe damage before retreating.
∎ The death toll from Tuesday's missile attack on the Ria Lounge pizza parlor in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk rose to 12 on Thursday when another body was extricated from the wreckage.
∎ Russian attacks in Ukraine's east and south killed five civilians and wounded nine more in the past day, according to the regional authorities.
Prigozhin, days before the coup attempt, had refused to sign a contract the Defense Ministry was requiring of all private military companies, a Russian lawmaker said Thursday. Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee, said failure to sign by July 1 would have meant an end to ministry funding for Prigozhin's Wagner Group, which had been paid more than $1 billion in the last 12 months. Kartapolov told Interfax Russia he believed money was the reason for the coup.
"The following happened: the first is money, the second is stupid and exorbitant ambitions, and the third is an excited state," Kartapolov said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has rejected calls to join the West’s effort to arm Ukraine because he needs to ensure Israel has “freedom of action” in Syria, where Israeli pilots often bomb Iranian targets near Russia forces. Netanyahu told the Wall Street Journal he is also concerned that Israeli weapons could be seized and turned over to Iran, which has been providing Russia with armed drones used in Ukraine. Netanyahu said Israel can't risk allowing the U.S. to give Ukraine the Iron Dome air-defense system developed jointly with the U.S.
“If that system were to fall into the hands of Iran, then millions of Israelis would be left defenseless and imperiled,” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel had joined United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion and had delivered an early-warning system for detecting missile attacks on Ukraine.
Almost 80% of Ukrainians have close relatives or friends who have been wounded or killed since Russia's invasion began 16 months ago, according to a recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. On average, the survey respondents have seven family members or friends who fell victim to Russia's war since Feb. 24, 2022. Russia's war against Ukraine formed a "tragic collective experience for the absolute majority" of Ukrainians," the polls says.
"This experience adds stability and uncompromisingness regarding possible concessions of Russia," said Anton Hrushetskyi, the institute's executive director. "If you have so many relatives and friends injured or killed, then how can you talk about concessions?"
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