The dramatic—if short-lived—armed mutiny led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin  has prompted a storm of speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power is slipping.
“We’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in televised remarks on June 25.
“Revolt Raises Searing Questions,” The New York Times stated in a headline one day later. “Could Putin Lose Power?”
The dramatic episode on June 24 saw thousands of Wagner fighters, led by Prigozhin, march toward Moscow. Their aim was to air grievances about how the conflict in Ukraine was being conducted….