It was predicted that Vladimir Putin’s hold on power was tenuous. And now he is badly damaged goods.
By the time you read this, the fast-moving events in Russia may have outpaced this column . . . and Vladimir Putin. The latest reports say that the Wagner Group’s charismatic chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin has announced he is “turning his columns around.” This after his forces came within 100-to-150 miles of Moscow without resistance, indicating Putin’s weakness. Yet something has changed.
Perhaps some in the Russian command had given Prigozhin mixed messages and then chose not to support Prigozhin, i.e., he counted on support that did not materialize. Why else would he begin a military move toward Moscow, triggering the city to mobilize against a coup? You can bet that Putin will purge any military generals he suspects of questionable loyalties, and he will err on the side of caution, so anyone remotely suspected will be demoted, or in some cases imprisoned or even liquidated as an example to others.
