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

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. 

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

Asked if Surovikin still had Putin's trust, Peskov said that Putin, as commander-in-chief of Russia's armed forces, worked with the defence minister and the chief of the general staff. Peskov said he did not have information about Prigozhin's whereabouts at the present time. 

(Reuters)