Kremlin refers questions about General Surovikin's fate to the defence ministry

[June 29, 2023]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday declined to answer questions about Russian General Sergei Surovikin, whose status and location have not been made public since an abortive armed mercenary mutiny on Saturday. 

Nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, Surovikin, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, has been absent from view since Saturday, when he appeared in a video appealing to mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to halt his mutiny.

Russian President Vladimir Putin awards General Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, with the Order of St. George, Third Class, at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia December 31, 2022. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo

He had looked exhausted in that video and it was unclear if he was speaking under duress. There have since been unconfirmed reports that he is being questioned by the security services.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about Surovikin to the defence ministry, which has so far not made any statement about him.

Asked by reporters if the Kremlin could clarify the situation with Surovikin, Peskov said: "No, unfortunately not."

"So I recommend that you contact the defence ministry; this is its prerogative."

When a reporter asked if President Vladimir Putin still continued to trust Surovikin, Peskov said: "He is the supreme commander-in-chief and he works with the defence minister and with the chief of the General Staff."

Questions about "structural units within the ministry," Peskov said, should be addressed to the defence ministry.

Asked about Prigozhin's whereabouts, after a plane linked to the mercenary flew to Moscow from St Petersburg, Peskov said he did not have information about Prigozhin's location at the current time.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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