[rogpodge]

I would caution against calling this “awesome” or entertainment, or being glib.

In 24 hours, a person like Prigozhin could be in command of the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Long-term instability in Russia could  lead to losing track of (or selling, or giving away) Russia’s vast stores of weapons of mass destruction.

Civil way could lead to the deaths of thousands if not millions of innocent people.

The Russians are unique, and have never been democratically ruled (unless you believe that the People's Democratic anything is, in fact, a democracy). Even under Yeltsin, the transition without Western aid, lead to the kleptocracy we see today. State controlled enterprises were corruptly raided. The Russian people saw what was happening and rejected poorly implemented republican or democratic systems that lead to Chechnya in favor of strength. 

A group of mercenaries is not some democratizing force. There is no indication that the Wagner group has any pro-Western bias. They were pushed against the wall and responded. They also have a score to settle with the US for that incident in Syria. I'll wait to see how this plays out, but there are plenty of reasons to be cautious.

[rogpodge]

I would caution against calling this “awesome” or entertainment, or being glib.

In 24 hours, a person like Prigozhin could be in command of the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Long-term instability in Russia could  lead to losing track of (or selling, or giving away) Russia’s vast stores of weapons of mass destruction.

Civil way could lead to the deaths of thousands if not millions of innocent people.

The Russians are unique, and have never been democratically ruled (unless you believe that the People's Democratic anything is, in fact, a democracy). Even under Yeltsin, the transition without Western aid, lead to the kleptocracy we see today. State controlled enterprises were corruptly raided. The Russian people saw what was happening and rejected poorly implemented republican or democratic systems that lead to Chechnya in favor of strength. 

A group of mercenaries is not some democratizing force. There is no indication that the Wagner group has any pro-Western bias. They were pushed against the wall and responded. They also have a score to settle with the US for that incident in Syria. I'll wait to see how this plays out, but there are plenty of reasons to be cautious.