Who is Russian General Suroviki, missing since the rebellion?

Russian Army General Sergei Surovici is among the top generals who have disappeared from the public since the July 24th failed rebellion aimed at ousting the political high level in Russia.

Surovici, 56, a large and shaved head, was last seen on June 24th, when he appeared in a video that he saw was uncomfortable and had a difficult breath, asking him to give up the head of the Wagner Group's mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozy.

A New York Times report based on an American intelligence conference said Surovik had preliminary knowledge of the uprising and that authorities were checking whether he was an accomplice.

The Kremlin rejected that report, but on Thursday she refused to answer questions about the general.

Here are some key facts about Suroviki:

Ukrainian Campaign

Surovicin, then commander of Russian forces in southern Ukraine, was given the General Command in Ukraine on October 8th, the first to be publicly appointed to that role.

Russia had just been defeated in the northeast region of Harchiev. Within a month, he had ordered a pull from the west coast of the Dnjeper River in the southern region of Herson in Ukraine, acknowledging that his forces were in danger of closing off the bombing of an important bridge.

The contingent, estimated by the US in 30,000 troops, withdrew, blowing up the bridge after their departure.

Ukraine's defence minister and Western diplomats said Surovici appears to have stepped up discipline, while also stepping up attacks on infrastructure.

His image as a giant Siberian, willing to use brutal tactics to achieve results, called on Russian nationalists, who thought he could oversee the withdrawal without opening dangerous internal divisions.

However, with the outbreak of war, in January he was depending on Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, standing as one of Gerasimov's three deputies.

Wagner

After withdrawing from Herson, Prigozhin, a fierce critic of Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, praised Surovicin as “a man who has no fear of responsibility”.

A month ago, Pigozin said Surovici should replace Gerasimov.

When Prigozhi organized his uprising, Suroviki was one of two generals who saw a video until they publicly encouraged him to give up.

However, Suroviki looked tense and embarrassed.

American officials told Reuters on Wednesday that Surovici had backed Pgozh, but that Western intelligence did not know for certain whether he had helped the rebellion in any way.

Moscow Times and a military publisher reported Surovik's arrest, while several other defence correspondents said he and other senior officers were being questioned by the Russian security service FSB to verify their loyalty.

Even the Associated Press agency, citing sources, has reported that General Suroviki is believed to have been arrested several days after the rebellion. Reuters could not independently verify these reports.

Syria

In 2017, while commanding Russia's vast East Military District, Suroviki was sent for about eight months to the helm of deployed forces in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad fight various rebel groups.

By the time he finished his task, the civil war had returned in favour of Assad, and President Vadicmir Putin was preparing a visit to announce a withdrawal of Russian forces.

Surovici was rewarded with command of the Russian Air Force and became a hero of Russia. In 2021 he was army general, equal to Gerasimov.

While Russia denied to have targeted civilians, the Syrian Human Rights Monitor said Russian air strikes and bombings often indiscriminately killed 5,700 civilians in two years until September 2017. /Prepare REL