There was a prospect here of prolonged chaos, even regime change in Russia. Progosion probably would have been stopped violently on the outskirts of Moscow one way or the other. Ukrainian officers had hoped Russia would have to redeploy its reserves from Ukraine and send them back home. That didn't happen, but I do think that even if this was ephemeral, it's going to have a pretty lasting impact on the battlefield.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed “Putin’s chef”, leads the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. He had lambasted Russia’s military leaders for months, but the mutiny he began over the weekend lasted less than a day. Nevertheless it is a sharp blow to President Vladimir Putin’s leadership—and may prove to be a boon for Ukraine’s counter-offensive.
Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer