The reports of Surovikin’s alleged knowledge of Prigozhin’s armed uprising shed light on the military’s lackluster response to the uprising.
The mutiny reportedly resulted in at least 4 Russian airforce planes being shot down. And some airmen’s deaths. Most fighter pilots reportedly refused to attack the Wagner convoy.
American military analyst Rob Lee said Wagner fought troops technically loyal to Surovikin over the weekend.
“Just want to emphasize that Surovikin is the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, and Wagner shot down 7+ aircraft, including several aircraft that weren’t armed,” he wrote on Wednesday. “Strange thing to do if the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces was actively supporting you.”
Aftermath
So far no criminal cases have been publicly opened against the rebellion.
Prigozhin has called the deaths of the airmen “regrettable”.
He has been exiled to Belarus. In his latest statement, he said his troops were largely peaceful and that “not a single soldier on the ground” had died during their 24-hour uprising.
