U.S. officials have claimed that russian military commanders were involved in the Prigozhin mutiny. Find out who knew in advance about the planning of the uprising and what impact it could have on the war in Ukraine

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Citing sources from U.S. officials, the New York Times reported that General Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of russian troops in Ukraine, knew about Yevgeny Prigozhin's planned military coup against the russian military leadership.

U.S. intelligence is trying to find clear signs that Surovikin not only knew about the uprising, but also helped plan the rebellion. In addition, Washington believes that other russian generals may have supported Prigozhin's attempt to overthrow the leadership of the russian Defense Ministry by force. After all, according to analysts and experts, the Wagner leader would not have gone up against putin alone, which means that Prigozhin was confident that russian officials would come to his aid.

Signs of collusion between russian military leaders and Prigozhin

Experts believe that Prigozhin's "march of justice" is a conspiracy among many people. After all, the actual armed rebellion did not meet any resistance up to moscow. No law enforcement agencies interfered with the mercenaries' seizure of administrative buildings or obstructed their path. Moreover, even Kadyrov's men did not reach Rostov-on-Don to stop the Wagnerites.

In addition, videos were published online showing other generals, including Vladimir Alekseev, personally communicating with Prigozhin after his military mutiny began. This was despite the fact that they had publicly expressed support for putin and called on the Wagnerites to lay down their arms and stop.

It was expected that a large part of the russian army would side with Prigozhin, which actually happened, but the Wagner leader backed down and did not wait for "reinforcements." Read more about why Prigozhin made the deal with moscow here.

How did russia react to the statements of American officials?

putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, commented on the NYT article, calling the claims of Surovikin's involvement in a military mutiny speculation and lies. However, the obvious split in russia's military leadership is hard to ignore, and it is unclear who putin will believe.

Read more about how the "justice march" exposed putin's and russia's weakness here.

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How can this information help Ukraine?

If Surovikin's involvement in the planning of the coup is confirmed and putin receives evidence, it could benefit Ukraine. At the very least, it will mean a final split in the military leadership of russia.

General Surovikin is a military leader who has been directly involved in strengthening russian defense along the entire front line. In January, another person took over as commander, but Surovikin still has influence over military operations in Ukraine and enjoys considerable authority and popularity among russian military and commanders. Moreover, Surovikin is one of the few generals who has gained Prigozhin's favor. The Wagner leader, despite constant criticism from the russian Defense Ministry, has repeatedly praised the former commander.

So, today we see that the russian dictator does not want to change people in the russian Defense Ministry. But if Surovikin's involvement is confirmed, this may change. It is interesting how putin will react and what measures will be taken, given the fact that all charges have been dropped against the Wagner leader and his mercenaries. 

Analysts believe that the general will be removed from command, because putin will have no other choice. According to experts, Surovikin is one of the most competent and ruthless commanders, and therefore his removal from office will undoubtedly benefit the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

However, even if Surovikin is not removed from office, the very fact that he supported Prigozhin and agreed to transfer troops and equipment from Syria indicates a split in the russian Defense Ministry and putin's actual loss of power, and therefore the consequences of the military coup have only just begun to unfold.

We remind you, than according to experts, the "march of justice" led by Yevgeny Prigozhin is only the beginning of irreversible changes in russia. Read about how the conflict between the Wagner leader and the russian Defense Ministry will affect Ukraine and the unfolding events at the front in our previous article.

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