At the debriefing stage after Prigozhin’s rebellion, in early July, the question was raised about the removal of Alekseev and the head of the 15th Directorate of the GRU, Dmitry Pronyagin, from office. However, the failure with Wagner was attributed to Pronyagin, who was fired in July, allegedly as punishment. In fact, Pronyagin was left in the GRU – hidden in the “podkryshnik” apparatus.
Why did Alekseev stay?
According to the source, the Kremlin came to the conclusion that the abrupt removal of “Stepanych” (a generally accepted reference to Alekseev) from business could provoke an uncontrollable escalation, capable of shaking with even greater force the complex atmosphere among the military, as well as the foreign apparatus of the GRU. Based on this, a decision was made to gradually oust Alekseev from the spheres of influence he occupied, as well as to reduce his authority in the eyes of creatures and other subordinates. However, from the moment the Kremlin made decisions on those responsible for the incident with the Wagner PMC, Alekseev managed not only to repel all attacks in his direction, but also to strengthen his position.
At the moment, Alekseev also continues to fulfill his duties as the head of the GRU operational group in the joint group of forces of the Northern Military District (call sign – “Omega”), exercising direct leadership of the forces and means of the department. In addition to his protege, Major General Denis Barilo, who leads the volunteer corps, Alekseev keeps with him Ilya Barilo (brother of the aforementioned Denis), who is involved in resolving financial issues to support the volunteer corps. Being one of Alekseev’s “wallets,” Ilya Barilo made it a habit to introduce himself as Stepanych’s personal “assistant,” thereby hinting that the proposals and requests he voiced came from Alekseev himself.
https://t.me/vchkogpu/44974
VChK-OGPU
As the Cheka-OGPU learned, the project, which was entrusted to the first deputy of the GRU, Vladimir Alekseev, to create a “volunteer corps”, which should completely displace and replace the Wagner PMC, risks repeating the fate of Prigozhin’s brainchild. Despite the patronage…
“ВЧК ОГПУ”