Gen. Serhiy Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, who has not appeared in public since the armed uprising by Wagner militants last month, is “resting,” a ruling party lawmaker said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

In a video published on social media, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee Andriy Kartapolov says: “Surovikin is resting now. (It) is currently unavailable.”

Surovikin, dubbed General “Armageddon” by Russian media for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, was last seen in public when he launched a video appeal calling for an end to the one-day uprising by Wagner’s mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. was still going on.

Surovikin reportedly had a good relationship with Wagner and Prigozhin’s mercenaries, who praised the general while regularly hurling insults at the Russian military leadership, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, for the way they conducted the war in Ukraine.

Last month, the New York Times reported, citing US intelligence sources, that Surovikin knew about the riots in advance and that Russian authorities were investigating his involvement.

Last month, some Russian and international media reported that Surovikin had been arrested, but there was no official confirmation and the Kremlin refused to answer questions about him.

The uprising, which President Vladimir Putin says could push Russia into civil war, is the biggest challenge to the Kremlin leader’s authority since he came to power more than 23 years ago.

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