This climate of fear is of course what Putin wanted.

But it has the potential to cut two ways. Caligula might warn that such a climate also runs the risk for Putin that those around him will decide "he'll kill us all if this continues" - and then they *might* risk banding together against him.

Time will tell.

@RationalLeft

Those Wagner guys marching on Moscow didn't seem all that frightened of Putin, and blowing up their front man is more likely to just piss them off.

@mcfate They'll probably go to ground for now... but you never know how the forces he's playing with will ultimately go.