FRESH fears have been sparked over Putin's rumoured purge as three of the despot's top advisers are thought to be missing.
In the fallout of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's aborted "coup", Kremlin hotshots have been mysteriously and systematically disappearing - sparking panic the purge is on.
As Putin desperately attempts to affect as business-as-usual coolness, behind the scenes it's a different story as the despot's clique dwindle in numbers.
The fault lines in the despot's regime have been exposed and it appears a paranoid Putin is readying his defences, consolidating his power and seemingly purging the weak links.
Aprominent Russian milblogger has said military leadership may be in the process of making the decision to remove defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
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It said this suggests the implications of the Wagner Mutiny "may still be having ramifications on the highest echelons of military command".
Putin's "General Armageddon" General Sergey Surovikin - renowned for his merciless manoeuvres - has not been since June 24 after rumours swirled that he had advanced knowledge of the Wagner warlord's plans.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov are also feared missing in action.
General Gerasimov is rumoured to have already been purged as conflict commander and replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinskiy, according to The Moscow Times.
Gerasimov is allegedly still in overall charge of the Russian armed forces as chief of the general staff but overall responsibility for the war now goes to Teplinskiy, 54, commander of the country’s airborne troops.
The former commander of Russia's forces in Ukraine, known as "General Armageddon" is feared dead after two weeks of silence and missing his wife's birthday.
All the while, the Kremlin has remained conspicuously tight-lipped about the 56-year-old's whereabouts.
Not long after Surovikin released a brief video calling for the mercenaries to stop their rebellion last month, various reports stated that he had been arrested and was under interrogation.
The military hardman was rumoured to have had prior knowledge of Wagner's plot to oust Russia's top military leaders - a claim confirmed by US intelligence.
Next in the firing line of a vengeful Putin is said to be Deputy Defence Minister Yevkurov.
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During the brief insurrection, the humiliated general was captured by a triumphant Prigozhin along with his War HQ, which was taken without a single shot being fired.
UK's Ministry of Defence reported that Yevkurov had been notably absent from a televised appearance of Russia's military leadership.
Adding to the intrigue, Prigozhin's sworn enemy General Gerasimov has also faded from view.
The Chief of the General Staff vanished sometime in the chaotic aftermath of Wagner's lightning rebellion.
Rybar channel, a popular Russian military blog authored by ex-military translator Mikhail Zvinchuk, claimed that Gerasimov now "has nothing to do with military operations”.
Teplinskiy is described as “de facto in charge of the [military] operation”, according to the Moscow Times.
Meanwhile, Putin's former lap dog Prigozhin has not been seen since he was shipped off to Belarus to begin his exile following his aborted "coup" on June 23 waged against Russia's military leaders.
The steaming rebellion was blown out after Prigozhin struck a bitter, but unclear deal with Putin putting an end to an astonishing 36-hours that saw Wagner forces reach within 125 miles of the capital.
Since then, he was widely assumed to have been hunkered down in Belarus and avoiding trouble - a claim fast being undermined.
The mercenary boss continues to confound and defy the Kremlin as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko startlingly announced on Thursday that he was "absolutely free" and "not in Belarus".
Institute for the Study of War said it has not seen any "evidence that Russian authorities are exiling or detaining Wagner commanders or fighters who participated in the rebellion".
As the plot thickens to find Putin's enemy number one, the Kremlin has feigned disinterest, stating they neither have the "ability" or "desire" to follow his movements.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, tweeted recently: "It's great that Russian authorities don't really care about a person who launched an armed mutiny against them.
"So where is he exactly? With the money, weapons and Wagner mercenaries?"
Russian media outlets revealed he had been in St Petersburg to personally receive his private arsenal back from the FSB.
A business jet linked to Prigozhin then left St Petersburg for Moscow on Wednesday and was heading for southern Russia on Thursday, according to flight tracking data.
Prigozhin's decision to flagrantly disregard his exile deal is another direct provocation against Putin who seems to be instead focused on purging his inner-circle.
For the Wagner chief, the Russian leader is allegedly holding restraint and engaged in a tactical smear campaign.
This week, security forces ransacked Prigozhin's swanky mansion in St. Petersburg and released extraordinary pictures of a house of opulence and horrors.
Bars of gold, a private arsenal of weapons, his giant sledgehammer and even a framed photo of severed heads was among the loot.
The FSB raid also seized his bizarre cupboard full of wigs, beards and and pictures of him in various get ups - poking fun at the ridiculousness of his dinguses.
