In the grand scheme of things, the illusion that Russia can just wait out the West’s appetite for war is definitely shattered. It’s now clear Putin is running his own clock.
That’s still a concerning development as I’m sure nobody wants the Russian state devolving into pure chaos, or for someone even more hardline than Putin to take his place. That’s why I’m not too hot on people cheering for Russia’s collapse.
The rebellion ended before we could even find a hashtag.
While true, the reputational hit for Putin is irreversible. His days are probably numbered.
Not to mention the fact that Wagner rolled through with zero resistance up to the point they turned around. They even had police vehicles in their convoy.
I noticed lemmygrad.ml was pretty quiet yesterday lol.
Prigozhin’s ability to successfully execute a coup may have been tenuous, but this will send a message to others that it is possible… Afterall, they did take Rostov-on-Don and got within 200km of Moscow… This will embolden others.
I wonder what this will mean for Ramzan Kadyrov. He relies on Putin for protection, right? But if Putin is seen as the paper tiger he is, will Kadyrov be safe? His Kadyrovites didn’t have a very good showing yesterday, either, having just sat there in traffic for a few hours, probably dicking around on their phones.
Serious question: what others? How many other Russians have a devoted private army to do their bidding? Are there any others?
If not, I think another coup attempt would need to come from the inside. Specifically, I think someone would need to commandeer the existing Russian army.
How many other Russians have a devoted private army to do their bidding? Are there any others?
Several, in fact. This article has the count at 37. Gazprom (yes the energy company) has one, shit, even Shoigu has his own PMC called Patriot.
As Gil Scott Heron may have said if he was alive today, The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged.
It will NOT feature Bullwinkle and Julia, that’s for sure.
:)
Could it mean Putin Only Understands Force?
