The Putin System Faces Rebellion and Uncertainty.

Russia's leadership attempted to reassert control after the recent mutiny by Yevgeniy Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group. The Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, was shown visiting a command post, while the Kremlin released a video of a recorded address by President Vladimir Putin to young engineers. Putin's whereabouts remain unclear, leaving questions about his political future. There are also questions about the whereabouts of Prigozhin and his paramilitary group, and whether they may resurface in Africa. The events have rattled Putin's authoritarian state, and there are calls for a crackdown on Russian private military companies.