General Sergei Surovikin has been sacked as head of Russia’s air and space forces, the Ria Novosti state-run news agency reports.

Reportedly nicknamed "General Armageddon" for his ruthless methods, Surovikin hasn't been seen in public since the short-lived mutiny by Wagner paramilitaries in June.

Reports suggest he was being held under house arrest, being investigated for complicity in the Wagner march on Moscow.

He has been replaced with an acting commander, General Viktor Afzalov.

Surovikin was, for a period, the head of Russia's forces in Ukraine, before being demoted in January to a deputy.