As Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to reassert control after a failed uprising by the Wagner mercenary force, the Kremlin is remaining silent about the conspicuous absence of the deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine. Speculation about General Sergei Surovikin has been growing since he fell out of public view after the aborted weekend revolt by Wagner fighters, who have been heavily involved in Moscow's 16-month assault on Ukraine. Surovikin's whereabouts were a matter for the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax on June 29, following reports that the general had been detained.
