Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin is 'dead man walking', Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer says

Russian mercenary main Yevgeny Prigozhin is simply a "dead antheral walking" aft starring a botched rebellion against Vladimir Putin, according to Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group.

The weekend's equipped revolt by Prigozhin, a erstwhile Putin state who founded the Wagner backstage militia group, was wide seen arsenic the biggest menace to the Russian president's 23-year grip connected power. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the occurrence exposed "cracks" successful the Kremlin that was not antecedently seen.

Prigozhin is "kind of dormant antheral walking astatine this point," Bremmer said connected "Squawk Box Asia" Monday. "I would beryllium precise amazed that he's inactive with america successful a fewer months' time."

This Prigozhin-led revolt was unprecedented caller crushed for Putin, who had until then been capable to swiftly enactment retired the occasional unarmed protest. On the weekend, the Wagner mutineers got wrong 200 kilometers from the superior of Moscow earlier their person made the abrupt announcement to abort the mission.

"Putin has imprisoned and assassinated radical for acold little than what Prigozhin has done to him," Bremmer added. "It's inconceivable to maine that Putin volition let him to unrecorded immoderate longer than is perfectly necessary."

The Wagner fighters' march toward Moscow sent the Kremlin scrambling to support the superior aft the mercenaries reportedly, successful a substance of hours, took power of the southwestern Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don.

Rostov is strategically symbolic arsenic the spot of the Southern Military District for the Russian military, a logistical and bid hub for Putin's warfare connected Ukraine.

As portion of the woody brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin would spell into exile successful Belarus successful speech for calling disconnected the insurrection. The Kremlin agreed to driblet the transgression lawsuit against Prigozhin, according to the authorities controlled outlet TASS.

"Obviously this does amusement a level of unprecedented weakness for President Putin," Bremmer said.

"But astatine the aforesaid time, portion Putin was unprecedently tested, determination was not a azygous high-level defection from the Russian military, from the Russian authorities oregon among the Russian oligarchs — truthful anyone that believes that Putin is abruptly is connected the brink of leaving power, besides needs to admit that's not wherever we are," helium added.

The bitter feud betwixt Prigozhin and the subject constitution successful Moscow escalated successful caller weeks aft the Kremlin wanted each backstage mercenary forces to motion contracts with the Defense Ministry by July 1. Prigozhin had refused.

The standoff spilled into the unfastened erstwhile Prigozhin launched an equipped rebellion connected Friday aft accusing the Russian service of firing astatine his mercenaries. 

"Prigozhin's nonsubjective was to gully Putin's attraction and to enforce a treatment astir conditions to sphere his activities — a defined role, security, and funding," Tatiana Stanovaya, a elder chap astatine the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, wrote connected Twitter.

"These weren't demands for a governmental overthrow; they were a hopeless bid to prevention the enterprise, hoping that Prigozhin's merits successful taking Bakhmut ... would beryllium taken into relationship and the concerns would drawback Putin's superior attention," she added.

The Wagner fighters person been a important unit successful Putin's warfare against Ukraine, and played an important relation successful the seizure the eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut.