How a mutiny weakened Putin’s strongman image

Over the weekend, a chaotic 36 hours unfolded in the Kremlin. The Wagner Group, a team of Russian military mercenaries created an uprising to challenge the Russian military, before Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin abruptly aborted the mission.

But the damage was done – Russian president Vladimir Putin accused Prigozhin of trying to start a civil war. And for the first time in nearly two decades, Putin’s regime appears to be shaken publicly.

Mark MacKinnon, The Globe’s senior international correspondent, talks about Putin’s rise to power and what this sudden mutiny says about his control in Russia.

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