Posted on 08/25/2023 12:41:26 PM PDT by Mariner
Just as the news broke Wednesday of the presumed death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, President Vladimir Putin of Russia was presiding over a televised World War II anniversary ceremony on a dark stage lit dramatically in red.
He held a moment of silence, flanked by service members in dress uniforms, while a metronome’s beats sounded, like the slow ticking of a clock: Tock. Tock. Tock.
The eerie split screen — the reported fiery demise of the man who launched an armed rebellion in June and the Russian president telegraphing the state’s military might — may have been coincidental. But it underscored the imagery of dominance and power that Putin, 18 months into his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, appears more determined than ever to project.
Prigozhin may have been brutally effective, throwing tens of thousands of his fighters into the maw of the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, tying up Ukrainian forces in the process and hobbling Kyiv’s ability to stage a counteroffensive. His internet “troll farm” helped the Kremlin interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, while his mercenary empire helped Russia exert influence across Africa and the Middle East.
But with his June rebellion, Prigozhin threatened something even more sensitive: Putin’s own hold on power. After the crash of Prigozhin’s plane Wednesday, the Kremlin appears to be sending the message that no degree of effectiveness and achievement can protect someone from punishment for violating Putin’s loyalty.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Like Brandon trying to neutralize Trump.
Gee, that reminds me of something or other.
It is claimed the original pilot supervised the loading of a crate or pallet of wine and then disappeared. They believe the “wine” was the explosive.
copied:
Prigozhin’s personal pilot has been named as a suspect to his murder.
Prigozhin’s personal pilot and owner of the crashed jet Artem Stepanov is wanted by Russian police.
He had access to the plane and right before the explosion he departed for Kamchatka, where he “disappeared.”
If you’re going for the kind, you’d better not missed. Prigozhin missed.
Dark Brandon lol
somebody remembered
Be careful when going for the King too! ;^)
When going for the kind, I go to Mauai.
Mongols gotta mongol.
Is that Lenin in the back?
Who knows ?
I like how the “dictator” copies the “democrat” but dials down the intimidation factor.
What boggles my mind is that not only Priggy, but also several of his senior people, somehow thought it was safe to be flying around in Russia? It's not like it was these people's 1st rodeo.
Maybe they thought they had some sort of ironclad guarantee of safety from Putin, but who the hell (pardon my French) would trust that? Or trust that the generals (etc.) Prigozhin had loudly accused would just sit around?
The only thing that even begins to make sense is that Prigozhin had some sort of dead man switch on Putin, and thought it was sufficient. It'd sure have to be big. IF so, and that seems to me to be a huge if, we've only seen Act 1.
Then again, I suspect we may have only seen Act 1 anyway.
That should have been: “that seems to me to be a huge if; have we only seen Act 1?”
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