Sergei Surovikin, the former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, vanished from public view following the mutiny of the paramilitary Wagner Group in June 2023. He has now resurfaced in Algeria, having been given a new mission by the Kremlin. The general was recently seen at the Dely Ibrahim military cemetery near Algiers, taking part in commemorations of the "Great Patriotic War" against Nazi Germany (1941 – 1945), alongside a delegation from the Russian diplomatic mission.

Several photographs posted on the embassy's Telegram channel on May 9 show Surovikin wearing sunglasses and an oversized civilian suit, standing next to Alexey Solomatine, Russia's ambassador to Algiers, and Vladimir Tsukanov, the military attaché. The sight was hardly remarkable in itself, as Surovikin had been accustomed to visiting Algeria at least once a year, according to brief reports by the Russian press ; he was in Oran in 2023 and in Algiers in 2024.

This time, however, the caption accompanying the photographs revealed a first: It specified Surovikin's new posting as "head of the group of Russian military advisers in Algeria." With this, the Russian embassy in the North African country officially announced his new assignment, confirming Moscow's growing commitment to Algeria – notably through the increased presence of its military advisers.

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