Putin Purging Military Leadership After Failed Wagner Revolt

ANALYSIS – It appears that Vladimir Putin is cleaning house at the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). The armed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group has now become a pretext for a purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited a prominent Russian military blogger (‘milblogger') as saying that the mutiny has instigated “large-scale purges” among the Russian armed forces command and that the MoD was currently undergoing a “crash test” for loyalty.

ISW also reported, citing the milblogger, that the Federal Guard Service (FSO), which provides security for the president and other state officials, is conducting an in-depth review into the Russian military leadership and commanders of individual units.

Specifically, ISW wrote that: “The milblogger claimed that Russian officials are using the MoD's ‘indecisiveness' in suppressing the rebellion and ‘support for paramilitary companies (PMCs)' as pretexts to remove ‘objectionable' personnel from their positions.”

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times ran stories about who knew what ahead of Prigozhin's attempted coup.

Some called the reporting deliberate disinformation by the U.S. intelligence community (IC) intended to sow distrust in the Kremlin.

If so, it appears to be working. (RELATED: Questions Swirl As Popular Russian General Goes Missing)

The Moscow Times and Russia's military-connected Telegram channels report the arrest of top general Sergei Surovikin – nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his reputed ruthlessness – for allegedly supporting Prigozhin's actions last weekend.

Reuters reported U.S. intelligence as saying Surovikin was sympathetic to the Wagner rebellion, but it was unclear if he actively supported it.

Also, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has not been seen publicly or on TV since Saturday's aborted coup. Reportedly, the FSB domestic security service is questioning him.

ISW cited a different Russian source as saying that an “atmosphere of suspicion has enveloped the General Staff” and that Gerasimov's affiliates are being accused of “indecision and failure.”

According to the milblogger cited by ISW, Gerasimov may have been stripped of his responsibilities for Russian operations in Ukraine while retaining his post.

The day before launching his mutiny, Prigozhin said Russia was losing the war and accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov of “genocide” against their people “for the murder of tens of thousands of Russian citizens and the transfer of Russian territories to the enemy.”

In addition to the FSB, Russia's National Guard was also aware of the planned mutiny, according to its commander, Gen. Viktor Zolotov.

“Specific leaks about preparations for a rebellion that would begin between June 22-25 were leaked from Prigozhin's camp,” Zolotov told state media on Tuesday, according to the Journal.

Prigozhin ended his revolt after accepting a deal with Putin – brokered by Belarus' strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko – that dropped criminal charges against the Wagner founder and his fighters and allowed him to go to the neighboring country.

And, as per my latest PDB, that may be opening a whole new can of worms.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

READ NEXT: Putin Quickly Taking Over Wagner Group's Global Military Network