The Wagner Rebellion and Putin's Crumbling System.

The recent crisis in Russia, where the Wagner Group, a mercenary group led by former Putin ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin, marched towards Moscow, exposed the vulnerability of Putin's authoritarian leadership. The response from some Russian officials ranged from general calls for unity to silence, as they appeared to wait to see which side would win. The fact that Moscow relied on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to defuse the crisis raised questions about the extent of Putin's authority. The event raised questions about Putin's practice of handing out spheres of influence to close allies and allowing them to operate as they like.