So what if Putin did indeed stage this with his Wagnerite buddy? Maybe Putin was tired of being embarassed on the world stage by military stalemate or defeat - or lack of progression against the NATO funded, NATO supplied, NATO trained Ukranian forces (that include a lot of folks from NATO countries fighting in a Ukranian uniform) - so he wants an out. What better way than to get his buddy Prigozian to march on Moscow as a threat, demand the ouster of the people between Putin and the Ukranian front and scapegoat them? Putin comes out blustering calling for his head, but ultimately agreeing to remove some key players (and likely consolidating his real power with more yes-men, and possibly actually better tacticians) while making westerners think that he'll wack his buddy P, when in fact they'll be snuggled in a Dacha somewhere knocking back vodak and sake, eating caviar and steak, and prank calling Joe Biden asking if his refrigerator is running. Who knows. I guess we'll see who is left living in 6-9 months, and where Russia stands in Ukraine, and if this was another move to foment nationalism, and show who potential weaknesses are in the chain of command? I'll bet a lot of lower level troops wind up in an unmarked grave, along with their families over this - along with mid level officers and their families. Those who remained loyal will be rewarded.
