The Russian Defense Ministry has apparently removed General Sergey Surovikin’s biography from its official website. The background could be reports about the general’s recent dismissal, which is said to be connected to a failed mutiny by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin at the end of June, as the Moscow Times reports.

Surovikin has long been considered a key interface between the Wagner mercenary group and the Ministry of Defense. Since 2017 he has served as head of the Russian Aerospace Forces. An insider said to be close to The Moscow Times said the general may have “chosen a path of his own” after completing an internal investigation into his possible involvement in the failed Wagner uprising.

Surovikin’s profile has been removed

Journalists recently found that Surovikin’s profile can no longer be found on the ministry’s website. This came two weeks after media reports said President Vladimir Putin had relieved him of his post as chief of the Aerospace Forces. The exact circumstances and background of this decision have not yet been fully clarified, but the fact that his biography was removed indicates a certain explosiveness, as pointed out by the Moscow Times.