In the wake of mutiny, Putin’s weakened but far from finished

After a dramatic weekend, Putin is back in the Kremlin, doing staged walkabouts and wants the world to know that he is in charge, writes Mary Dejevsky. Whilst it’s tempting to conclude his days are numbered, it’s important to resist the spin

A post-Putin era suddenly seemed a lot closer (Sputnik)

If the minute-by-minute dramas of last weekend in Russia seem both a long way away and a long time ago, that is because a great many people want you to think that, or want you to see it in a new light. I can hardly remember a single episode in recent years that has passed so quickly from reality to myth – and competing myths at that.

But first, what is the actual situation in terms of politics and power now that the immediate dust has settled? Vladimir Putin is back in the Kremlin and wants you to know that he is in charge; that his authority is intact, and that he remains determined to run Russia and continue the war against Ukraine.

He has been more visible in recent days than for many months, including presiding at a military ceremony in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square and leading a staged “walkabout” in the southern region of Dagestan. Russian missiles struck a popular restaurant in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.