Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ who vanished after Prigozhin mutiny is ‘pictured’

The once prominent Russian general who disappeared from the public eye in the wake of the short-lived mutiny led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin in June has been pictured for the first time in more than two months, a journalist has claimed.

Sergei Surovikin, who earned the nickname “General Armageddon” for his iron fist and brutal military campaigns in Chechnya and Syria, was seemingly spotted in a photograph shared on social media.

TV host and journalist Ksenia Sobchak published on her Telegram account a snap showing a man wearing a pair of blue trousers and a shirt as well as a pair of sunglasses and a hat, which made it difficult to properly identify him.

Walking alongside a woman resembling General Surovikin’s wife, Anna, the man appeared to be strolling on a pavement while walls covered with creepers could be seen in the background.

Ms Sobchak captioned the picture – which was then shared by Russian news outlet Ostorozhno on Telegram – by writing: “General Sergei Surovikin is out. Alive, healthy, at home, with his family, in Moscow. Photo taken today.”

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The veracity of the photo could not be immediately verified by Express.co.uk.

This picture emerged hours after, during a press conference, Defence Minister Shoigu refused to answer whether an investigation against the general was underway.

General Surovikin was last seen on June 23, when he recorded a video message in which he urged members of the mercenary Wagner Group to obey Vladimir Putin’s leadership and end their uprising.

Mr Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash on August 23, had launched a mutiny against the Russian defence leadership on June 23, which saw some of his men marching towards Moscow before being ordered by the warlord to U-turn as part of a deal struck by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

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General Surovikin, who disappeared from the public eye despite being at the time the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, had links with Mr Prigozhin.

Days after the attempted coup, the US intelligence reportedly claimed the prominent official had prior knowledge of the uprising. At the time, the Kremlin dismissed the assessment as “gossip”.

General Surovikin was known to be appreciated by Prigozhin, who praised the officer as a “legendary figure” and a man “born to serve his motherland” after he had been appointed in October 2022 as commander of the joint group of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

At the beginning of this year, the general was replaced by Valery Gerasimov, one of the targets of Prigozhin’s vitriolic attacks.

While the Kremlin remained tight-lipped on General Surovikin’s whereabouts, The Moscow Times reported in late June the general had been arrested.

Other reports claimed he had been placed under house arrest, interrogated or even incarcerated in the notorious Lefortovo prison.

In late August, Russian state news agency RIA cited an anonymous source saying the general had been relieved from his post as chief of the Russian Air and Space Forces.

RBC news outlet also claimed General Surovikin had lost his role as deputy commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine.

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