Since the failure of the "Wagner" paramilitary group rebellion, top Russian generals have not appeared in public, writes Reuters.
The agency notes that the head of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov did not appear in public nor on state television and that he was not mentioned with a single word in the statement of the Ministry of Defense published on June 9.
General Sergey Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, has not been seen in public. His last appearance was seen at the weekend when he appeared in a video calling for a halt to the march on Moscow.
Previously, the "New York Times" announced that Surovikin already knew about the rebellion and that the Russian authorities are checking his role in it, suspecting he was an accomplice. The "Moscow Times" portal announced that Surovikin was arrested, while the journalist Alexei Venediktov announced, without specifying sources, that Surovikin has not been in contact with his family since Saturday, and that his bodyguards cannot be contacted either.
However, the British agency reports that it has not received independent confirmation of such allegations. "Ribar", as an influential Telegram channel run by a former spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, announced that the purge was underway.
"The armed rebellion of the private military company Wagner became a pretext for a mass purge in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces," wrote the Telegram channel.
If it turns out to be correct, such a move could change the way Russia conducts the war in Ukraine and lead to turmoil at a time when Moscow is trying to stop a Ukrainian counter-offensive, writes Reuters.
At the same time, some analysts believe that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigozhin wanted to overthrow, may be a little safer now.
"I think Prigozhin expected that something would be done about Shoigu and Gerasimov and that Putin would rule in his favor. Instead, his rebellion may have secured their continued tenure, despite being known as incompetent and widely hated in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," twitted Michael Coffman of the Carnegie Endowment.
Unlike Gerasimov, Shoigu has made several public appearances since the end of the rebellion attempt.
