Kremlin has dismissed the former leader of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine. Gen. Sergey Surovikin was dismissed from his post as the head of Russia's aerospace forces. As per a CNN report, Surovikin was among at least 30 other senior Russian military and intelligence officials who were secret VIP members of Wagner.
Surovikin, reportedly, has not been seen in public since the short-lived mutiny led by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in June. Gen. Viktor Afzalov, Chief of the General Staff of the Aerospace Forces has replaced Surovikin.
Surovikin is a veteran, who was also part of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. According to a post on Telegram by a prominent Russian journalist Alexey Venediktov, Surovikin had been relieved of his post but would continue serving the Ministry of Defense in another capacity.
According to sources, his dismissal is due to him being transferred to a different role. In June, Prigozhin called for the toppling of Russia's military command. In less than 24 hours after that, Prigozhin made a deal with Kremlin and was exiled to Belarus. Surovikin hasn't made any public appearances after this.
Prigozhin, however, on Tuesday, released a video indicating that he might be in Africa. In the video, Prigozhin said the group is making Africa 'more free'. Putin initially branded Prigozhin a traitor, but the criminal case against the mercenary chief was later dropped.
