Masha Gessen: Wagner revolt likely to lead Putin to a 'crackdown of unprecedented proportions' - MSNBC

[Rhiannon12866]

Masha Gessen, staff writer for The New Yorker, joins Yasmin Vossoughian to discuss the fallout of the Wagner mercenary revolt in Russia and how Putin is likely to respond. “This is a tantrum thrown by a mercenary leader... But the effect of what he's done is a challenge to Putin's monopoly on power," Gessen says. - Aired on 06/24/2023.




Staff writer for The New Yorker Masha Gessen on Prigozhin's turnabout, Putin's vulnerability - MSNBC Reports

Staff writer for The New Yorker and author of "Surviving Autocracy" Masha Gessen discusses with Yasmin the Wagner Group's decision to turn back after marching towards Moscow. Gessen also delves deeper into the tricky circumstances Vladimir Putin must navigate in a potential deal with Yevgeny Prigozhin. "This is the most vulnerable he's probably ever been." - Aired on 06/24/2023.

[burrowowl]

1. Is Putin going to use Wagner to open up

a flank on the Belorussian side?

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Of course nobody knows what his actual plans are, but there are suspicions that he's using the Wagner

Group to turn his losing war around. But all the pundits have now are suspicions since Putin is obviously not to be trusted - and he has to be desperate at this point.

[NJCher]

3. Did you see his eyes

When he talked about defending Russia. I detected a seething anger there. He is way past furious and is about to pop the cork. And per the usual, it will backfire on him.

Putin is not handling his life lessons well, shall we say.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I agree, he looks like he's dangerously obsessed.

The Western World was relieved and grateful when the USSR fell - but that's what he's obsessed with recreating. He doesn't care how many Russian citizens need to die to fulfill his despotic ambition. That's not how a leader is supposed to act - and yet he's the one who TFG admires. I visited the USSR back in the late '80s with my grandmother and the peace group she joined. And there was such hope there then under Gorbachev who was instituting more progressive policies - perestroika and glasnost, openness and transparency. I feel terrible for what they must be suffering now - and the numbers of unnecessary deaths in Putin's unprovoked war.

[NJCher]

5. this

there was such hope there then under Gorbachev who was instituting more progressive policies - perestroika and glasnost, openness and transparency.

Just breaks my heart.

When--when?--will they ever get a break?