A top Russian general who reportedly had advanced knowledge of the Wagner rebellion has not been seen since the armed mutiny unfolded on Saturday.
Sergei Surovikin is second-in-command of the Russian army and has known links to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Defence and security analyst Michael Clarke stressed that General Surovikin "must be having a fairly difficult time" adding that Russia's deputy security council chief Dmitry Medvedev has also not been since Saturday.