Jeffrey Mankoff, a leading expert on Russian military affairs, and Catrina Doxsee, who focuses on Russian foreign policy, dive into the turmoil surrounding Yevgeny Prigozhin's march on Moscow. They discuss the implications of this mutiny for Putin's power and the vulnerabilities it exposed in the Russian military hierarchy. The conversation reveals how Prigozhin's actions challenge the Kremlin's approach and potentially reshape Russia's future stability. They also explore the ongoing struggles of the Wagner Group and the broader impact on Russian military operations.

Wagner is a private military company of mercenaries that has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has for months been involved in a feud with the Russian defence ministry, but he denies trying to overthrow Mr Putin's regime. The short-lived rebellion, which saw Wagner fighters seize a major Russian city before heading north towards Moscow in a column of military vehicles, was a response to government plans to take direct control of Wagner, Prigozhin claims. This week on the Real Story we are focusing on the implications for Russia's military of the mutiny by a man who was once President Putin's caterer. Shaun Ley is joined by: Catrina Doxsee - From the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Pjotr Sauer - Russian affairs reporter for The Guardian newspaper. Samir Puri - author of Russia’s Road to War with Ukraine: Invasion amidst the ashes of empires. Also featuring: Professor Sergei Markov - Director of the Institute for Political Studies in Moscow.Produced by: Imogen Wallace, Ellen Otzen, Alex Hacillo & Rumella Dasgupta(Photo: Armored vehicles and fighters of Wagner on the streets of Rostov-on-Don, Russia; Credit: Arkady Budnitsky/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)