Last week, in an essay for the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Erica Frantz presciently warned that “the security forces in Russia are certainly powerful enough to mount a formidable challenge to any leader who threatens their interest. And their division into distinct groups increases the chance that they might come to blows with one another.” Days later, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, launched an armed rebellion, marching his troops into Russia and taking the southern city Rostov-on-Don, only to call off the insurrection 24 hours later.
Still, the damage has been done, Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage write. Prigozhin “has proved that the fortress of Putinism can be assaulted.” Although the short-lived mutiny is over, they warn, “the events of the past three days portend a dark future for Russia.”
We’ve compiled some of the best coverage in Foreign Affairs on the latest developments in Russia and where Putin—and the country—go from here. Start reading below. |
