General Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Russian Air Force and one of the most prominent officers in the army, has been relieved of his duties, according to official Russian media on Wednesday, after his absence from the scene following what it described as the "armed rebellion of the Wagner group" against the military leadership in Moscow last June.

There were close ties between the general, known for his toughness and harshness, and the Wagner group led by "Yevgeny Prigozhin." There have been reports for weeks about his dismissal following the group's "rebellion," which Moscow confirmed on Wednesday.

The official "RIA Novosti" agency also reported that Colonel-General Viktor Afzalov, the chief of staff of the air force, will take over leadership in the interim.

Surovikin is considered one of the seasoned military leaders and has held roles in many of the wars fought by Moscow, starting from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, through the military intervention in Syria alongside government forces, to operations in Ukraine since February 2022.

He was appointed in May as an official mediator between the army and the Wagner group following Prigozhin's accusations against the military leadership for failing to supply his fighters with the ammunition they needed to fight in Ukraine.

On the night of June 23-24, "Surovikin" appeared in a video and called on Wagner fighters to retreat after "Prigozhin" urged his men to rebel against the military leadership. Less than 24 hours later, Wagner forces, which had begun heading towards Moscow, turned back, ending the rebellion after an agreement with the Kremlin mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Surovikin (56 years old) has not appeared publicly since then, raising speculation about his arrest or dismissal.

The "New York Times" also reported, citing sources in U.S. intelligence, that "Surovikin" was aware of Prigozhin's plans in advance and may have been detained. However, the Kremlin denied the information in the report, without providing further details.