Russian military shakeup: High-ranking officers detained amid coup rumors
6:46 AM EDT, May 26, 2024
Recent weeks have seen purges within the Russian army, with many high-ranking military officers arrested. Officially, their detention is attributed to corruption and embezzlement. However, there are theories suggesting an entirely different reason. "General SVR" on the X portal speculates that the detained individuals were plotting a coup against Vladimir Putin.
More commanders and officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense continue to be arrested. The list of detainees is extensive. It includes head of army personnel Gen. Yuriy Kuznetsov, Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for economic affairs Timur Ivanov, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vadim Shamarin, and General Ivan Popov.
Officially, the reasons for the arrests are cited as corruption and embezzlement. However, scepticism abounds. According to the reports, speculations suggest a deeper motive.
Information regarding these arrests appeared on the General SVR profile, purportedly operated by former Russian agents. On the X portal, they alleged that the true reason for the latest arrests is the discovery of a coup aimed at overthrowing the current Kremlin authorities. The scale of the conspiracy against Vladimir Putin was supposedly larger than the Wagner Group rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.
"Supposedly, plans for a march on Moscow similar to the Wagner Group rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin were developed," reported General SVR. The conspirators were purportedly set to advance on the capital with force, involving "a few columns of military personnel with equipment." The planned coup by the military was expected to take place in early June.
After discussing the details and potential ways to thwart the conspiratorial plans, Gen. Nikolai Patrushev asserted that since all conspirators had already been identified, the plans should be foiled at the moment the final decision was made to start the rebellion. At that point, all conspirators should be apprehended, as was stated on the 'General SVR' profile.
Attempted coup in Russia? Detained military and officials were allegedly preparing it
The authors of the "General SVR" profile indicated that they had predicted a wave of arrests among Russian military personnel and Ministry of Defense officials. At the same time, they confirmed that it should not be expected that Russian authorities would make public any information about the discovered coup.
Information about the conspiracy will not be made public by the Russian authorities. All arrests will be attributed to matters of corruption and embezzlement, the authors of General SVR indicated.
Information presented by "General SVR" should be approached with caution, as the credibility of the profile is difficult to confirm.
