“Putin’s carefully nurtured image of invincibility is shattered. Some Russians applauded the rebels as they headed toward Moscow. As Russia historian Stephen Kotkin put it, ‘Mystique once lost is nearly impossible to regain.’”
The damage to Putin, along with the long-term threat to the stability of his regime, results from serious miscalculation in at least two rule-threatening events. …
#1/n
https://themessenger.com/opinion/the-wagner-groups-warning-for-america
… First, in invading Ukraine, Putin vastly overrated his army and grossly underestimated Ukrainians and their leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia’s battlefield failures have accelerated Putin’s vulnerability. As Alexander Vindman, the former Trump national security official and whistleblower, tweeted, ‘We owe Ukraine a debt of gratitude.’
Second, Putin was plainly caught pants-down by Prigozhin and his troops’ readiness to mount a serious threat. …
2/n
… Blindness of such epic proportions happens to dictators because they eliminate truth-tellers around them. Sooner or later, an autocrat’s inner circle shrinks to those who say only what the leader wants to hear. That is a formula for failure.”
Aftergut then compares 45’s regime with Putin’s.
3/3
#Russia #Putin #Prighozhin #Ukraine #Zelenskyy #Vindman #TRE45ON #45
wondrng1