General Armageddon is seen for the first time since he was fired by Putin for being too close to assassinated coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin

Russia’s most feared general has been spotted for the first time since Vladimir Putin fired him for being too close to now-deceased coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

A new photo apparently shows General Sergei “Armageddon” Surovikin walking with his wife, 50-year-old Anna, near his palatial home in Moscow.

General Surovikin, 56, had not been seen for more than two months since Yevgeny Prigozhin tried to oust Putin from power by marching his Wagner troops to Moscow.

a New York Times A report based on US intelligence alleged that Soerovikin had prior knowledge of Prigozhin’s June coup attempt, although the Kremlin strongly denied this at the time.

Putin fired Surovikin as head of the aerospace forces two weeks ago. The general is believed to be held in Lefortovo military prison and is likely to be questioned about his relationship with Prigozhin.

Some experts even claimed that Surovikin, who got his nickname for his brutality and aggressive approach to warfare, was dead, as reliable sources said his wife and family had not seen him for weeks.

Fueling further speculation about his well-being, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declined to answer questions on Monday about Surovikin and whether Russia is pursuing criminal investigations into him.

In June, the head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, was heard saying in a video that Surovikin was “currently resting,” adding that he was “unavailable” at the time.

The top-level commander was briefly in charge of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, until Putin abdicated responsibility in January and handed it over to the current Chief of the Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov.

Analysts have noted his brutality towards perceived enemies of Russia.

Under his watch, Russian forces launched rocket attacks against civilians in Ukraine, with one of those attacks blowing up a major intersection near a children’s playground and a university.

Despite his brutality, he was described as one of the few people in the Russian army who knew “how to oversee and streamline different army branches.”

Gleb Irisov, a former Air Force lieutenant who worked for Surovikin until 2020, told the guard on his appointment as leader of the Russian invasion: ‘He is very cruel, but also an able commander.’

Another former Defense Ministry official told the newspaper at the time: “Surovikin is absolutely ruthless, with little regard for human life. I’m afraid his hands will be completely covered in Ukrainian blood.’

Soerovikin was also responsible for “defending” Moscow’s interests in Syria. According to a 2020 Human Rights Watch report, Russian forces under his command attacked Syrian “homes, schools, health care facilities and markets – the places where people live, work and study.”

Even people who could be considered friends or allies of Russia are not safe.

Russian media reported in 2004 that a colonel serving under General Armageddon committed suicide after receiving a vehement rebuke from him.

The general first rose to prominence in the early 1990s during an attempted coup against Gorbachev by communist hardliners.

He led a rifle division that drove through barricades erected by pro-democracy protesters. The impact killed three men, including one who was crushed to death.