Senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin, known as “General Armageddon”, has been arrested for having prior knowledge of the Wagner rebellion, according to reports.
Two anonymous sources told The Moscow Times that the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine had been arrested, but they would not disclose his whereabouts.
The general hasn’t been seen since Saturday, the day Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin attempted to storm Moscow with his mercenary troops before abruptly calling off the revolt and agreeing to be exiled in Belarus.
Pro-war military blogger Vladimir Romanovhas claimed Mr Surovikin was detained on Sunday and is now being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo detention centre, The Moscow Times reports.
Three officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the New York Times on Tuesday that Mr Surovikin had been aware of Mr Prigozhin’s plans but Western intelligence did not know with certainty if he had helped the rebellion in any way.
British defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News: “He was close to Prigozhin. There were lots of rumours he was somehow implicated and American intelligence…said he definitely knew about the military rebellion at least a couple of days before it happened.
“He is one of the deputy commanders…he’s still head of the air force. He hasn’t been since this rebellion took place.”
The reports have not been confirmed by Russia’s defence ministry. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the report as “speculation” and “gossip”.
Mr Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by Russian media for his ruthlessness, is a veteran of wars in Chechnya and Syria who has been decorated by President Vladimir Putin.
In October, Mr Surovikin was put in charge of the military campaign in Ukraine but was moved into a deputy role earlier this year after Russia’s limited success in the invasion.
Mr Prigozhin, a former Putin ally, in recent months has been locked in a bitter feud with Moscow, including publicly saying his troops were not being provided enough weapons by the Russian ministry of defense.
Before launching the mutiny, Mr Prigozhin had raged against top Russian military officials, blaming them for the army’s lack of support for Wagner fighters.
Mr Surovikin urged the Wagner group to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases just before Prigozhin led his fighters on a so-called "march for justice".
Having set off from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don over the weekend, Mr Prigozhin aborted the march within 200 kilometres (125 miles) of Moscow.
