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.
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.
That's not my guess. One place they WON'T be going is Ukraine.
@mcfate Putin's expectation that they'll all loyally throw themselves back into the fight in Ukraine after swearing loyalty to him seems... flawed.
Okay, but Putin's not in firm contact with reality.
@mcfate Clearly not, no.