Gen Sergei Surovikin, has reportedly lost his job as air force chief | BBC News |

For several months Gen Surovikin was in charge of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine but he has not been seen since the Wagner mutiny in June.

During the hours that Wagner mercenaries marched towards Moscow on 24 June, Gen Surovikin appeared in a video appealing to them to return to base.

But his awkward performance was later compared to a hostage-style video. The general was known to have good relations with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who reserved his loathing for other figures in the defence hierarchy.

In the weeks after the June revolt, there were unconfirmed reports by Russian military bloggers that Gen Surovikin had been detained for questioning. But officials denied he was being held in a pre-trial detention centre and one retired general said that he was merely "resting" and unavailable.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presumed dead after Russia plane crash | BBC News |

Tass news agency said the plane, an Embraer Legacy belonging to Prigozhin, caught fire on hitting the ground.

The aircraft had been in the air for less than half an hour, it added.

An investigation has been launched into the crash and emergency services are searching the scene.

Another news agency, Ria, said eight bodies had been recovered.

Grey Zone reported that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin landed safely in the Moscow region.

"I don't know for fact what happened, but I am not surprised," @POTUS tells reporters when asked about the plane crash as he departed an exercise class in Lake Tahoe, where he is vacationing with his family [_link]

— Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) August 23, 2023

Special Report: The Curtain Closes On Yevgeny Prigozhin

'Sapere aude'