The Russian military chief who was targeted in a June rebellion has surfaced in a video

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/07/2023 (800 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Russia’s Defense Ministry released a video Monday of the country’s military chief, the first time Gen. Valery Gerasimov has been shown since the leader of a mercenary army sought his dismissal during a brief rebellion.

In the video, Gerasimov is shown hearing a report from the chief of staff of Russia’s aerospace forces and calling for improvement in identifying the location of Ukrainian missiles.

During last month’s short-lived revolt, the head of private defense company Wagner repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries forces entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 23 and took control of the headquarters of Russia’s southern military command. Wagner forces also moved toward Moscow, encountering little resistance.

Prigozhin claimed that the uprising was not aimed at President Vladimir Putin but at removing Gerasimov and other top brass whom he claimed were mismanaging the war in Ukraine.

The rebellion ended on June 24 with a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko under which Wagner forces were to return to their bases and Prigozhin would move to Belarus.

Gerasimov had not been shown in public since the rebellion until Monday’s video was released.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine