The thing that worries me about the last 48 hours is the rise of...

The thing that worries me about the last 48 hours is the rise of PMCs in Russia and the decline of the Russian Military. What Pringles showed is that if you have enough force behind you, you can force concessions out of the Kremlin. Now, every tom, dick and harry with assets will be arming themselves to the teeth with PMCs for protection.

As for the members of PMC Wagner who feel betrayed: I have no doubt they will find work with another PMC like the ones Shoigu or Gasprom operate. The Russian state has lost the monopoly of violence. Its authority can be challenged if you have the muscle, and with nuclear weapons in the mix, they're all in deep trouble.

Putin's best bet is to groom a successor to get out of Ukraine and prepare for retirement in Dubai with his ill gotten gains.