Read essential analysis of the Wagner Rebellion [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [Prigozhinâs Mutiny Is the Beginning of Putinâs End]( By Lucian Kim, a global fellow with the Wilson Center in Washington and NPRâs former Moscow bureau chief. When I saw the first images of armed men in ragtag uniforms taking over the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning, I was immediately reminded of the â[little green men](â who began showing up in cities in Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Like the Russian troops and soldiers-of-fortune who began the Kremlinâs covert invasion of Ukraine, the fighters in Rostov displayed no insignia as they seized key buildings, including the headquarters of Russiaâs Southern Military District. Just as in Ukraine nine years ago, there was no resistance from local law enforcement officers, who chose life over a fight with determined gunmen. This weekendâs lightning takeover of Rostov by the Wagner mercenary group was the first step in an armed mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the ex-con who rose to become Russiaâs most infamous battlefield commander. From there, the Wagner forces began a march on Moscow until Prigozhin abruptly ordered his men to turn around and return to their bases. In the space of 24 hours, the full madness of Vladimir Putinâs dictatorship was on display. The blowback of his attack on Ukraine was symbolized by a Wagner tank, marked with the letter âZ,â which stands for the Kremlinâs war effort, pointing not at Ukrainians but other Russians. Prigozhin said his beef was with the military leadership, which he accused of trying to destroy the Wagner Group. He has a history of publicly insulting Russiaâs defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and [getting away with it](. But Prigozhinâs open show of arms on Russian soil sent a challenge to the Kremlin that Putin could no longer ignore. In a televised address, the Russian president called Wagnerâs mutiny a âstab in the backâ and warned of civil war. Putin even invoked the violent collapse of the Russian Empire in World War I, though he did not mention Tsar Nicholas II, the disgraced ruler murdered by Russian revolutionaries. There is another similarity to World War I that Putin did not mention: corruption and incompetence in the Russian military, as well as the inhumane treatment of its own soldiers. Anger with Russiaâs top brass has not been limited to Wagner, and Prigozhinâs rage may well extend to the ranks of the Russian military. At the very least, that Prigozhinâs army was able to travel hundreds of miles unhindered shows that the Kremlin lacks the wherewithal to put down a domestic rebellion, especially when its best troops are fighting in Ukraine. Despite the drama of the situation, a mutiny by Russiaâs scariest people should not come as a surprise... [READ THE FULL STORY]( More on the Wagner Mutiny: [Members of the Wagner Group sit atop of a tank in a street in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24. ]( [Prigozhinâs Defiant Stand: âHow Did We Get to This Situation?â]( What Russian elites are thinking about the mercenary leaderâs abortive march on Moscow. By Robbie Gramer [Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address as Wagner Group mercenaries stage a rebellion on June 24.]( [Putinâs Armor Has Been Pierced]( Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhinâs revolt has already revealed Putinâs domestic control to be slipping. By Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., William F. Browder [Prigozhinâs Defiant Stand: âHow Did We Get to This Situation?â]( What Russian elites are thinking about the mercenary leaderâs abortive march on Moscow. By Robbie Gramer [Putinâs Armor Has Been Pierced](Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhinâs revolt has already revealed Putinâs domestic control to be slipping. By Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., William F. Browder foreignpolicy.com/subscribe Geopolitics matters [Gain a deeper understanding of the world with Foreign Policy. Get daily analysis at the intersection of politics and international affairs, plus the full digital archive from 1970 to today.](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) [BECOME A SUBSCRIBER](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Want to receive FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Reach the [right online audience]( with us. [Foreign Policy]( is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.