Putin breaks the deal with Prigozhin and says that criminal charges will NOT be dropped. The Russian Government is falling apart and Putin desperately tries to salvage the situation. All flights leaving Moscow are booked and oligarchs are fleeing. Subscribe to the channel for more updates! Make sure to support us on Patreon so we can keep covering news like this! patreon.com/The_Enforcer

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[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

My theory is that Prigozhin thought he could just walk in and take power, with the regular military falling in behind him, This was partially true except the main military seemed to be taking a wait and see approach, but Putin's loyalists threatened the lives of Wagner leadership's families to get them to back off, and then Putin saw the news coverage calling him weak for cutting a deal at all. Now Putin has to backtrack on his promise, which makes him seem even weaker.

Putin also has to find and capture Prigozhin before Wagner regroups and actually marches on Moscow. Which is still on the table.

The key here is that no one involved in this mess seems to be good at their job, they all seem to be petty would be dictators (or an actual petty dictator in Putin's case).

[–] blivet@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The key here is that no one involved in this mess seems to be good at their job

I think this is a great point. A lot of seemingly inexplicable behavior on the part of various elements in Russia starts to make a lot more sense if you factor in the likelihood that they aren’t actually competent.

[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

I find that every conspiracy theory falls apart if you just assume a normal level of incompetence and miscommunication.

What makes more sense, Putin playing some sort of masterful game where he looks incompetent, or he was actually arrogant enough to believe that his lapdog wouldn't turn on him, and never even considered that Prigozhin would march on Moscow?

Then Prigozhin just assumed that the regular army would turn around and join him. Bitch please, you aren't a war hero, you're a fucking mercenary murderer. Prigozhin takes the blame for committing atrocities all the time, both because he (and his men) do commit countless atrocities, but also because it's his job to take the blame.

It's like Eric Prince expecting loyalty from US servicemen because they are so impressed with how Blackwater runs.

So Putin, surprised as fuck (because everyone was) and on the back foot, threatens some families and cuts a deal with Prigozhin. Then sees the press eating him alive over it and is now trying to cover his ass again.

Apply this level of miscommunication and incompetence to any event is human history, and you likely have something resembling the truth.

[–] such_lettuce7970@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

"The key here is that no one involved in this mess seems to be good at their job, they all seem to be petty would be dictators (or an actual petty dictator in Putin's case)."

This is what happens in a government culture that leans so heavily on the importance of machismo and appearing strong, rather than actually being competent and promoting stability.