The Longer View: Russia After Wagner

The Wagner drive to Moscow is over. The tensions boiled over. Wagner Chief, or is this now former chief, Evgeny Prighozin, has ordered his troops back to barracks to use the coup lingo.

According to CNN, with all, we were surprised overnight, we were not:

The mercenary leader of the “Wagner” PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin planned a mutiny against the Russian military leadership for a long time — CNN with reference to US intelligence.

This week, intelligence officials informed the so-called “Gang of Eight” in the US Congress about the movement of PMK mercenaries and the accumulation of weapons by the Wagnerites near the Russian borders.

“The Gang of 8” is a colloquial term for a group of eight key members of the US House of Representatives and senators who are constantly briefed by the White House on sensitive events, classified documents and critical intelligence.

That they probably had no precise idea what this was about is another matter. Until it happens, all you can do is guess. And intel folks are way more careful with their analysis.

So let’s turn to Russia and what we can expect. First, the view of my all-time favorite terrorist. If anything, he has a way with words. This is Igor Streilkov:

“I am forced to admit with bitterness…