On Friday June 23rd Yevgeny Prighozin, the leader of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, took to Telegram to announce that he would, “march for justice” to stop the Russian defense ministry “evil”. By Saturday morning Wagner forces had claimed control of Rostov-on-Don, the Russian military headquarters near the Ukrainian border. His forces proceeded in a convoy into Russia toward Moscow, getting to within 200 km of the capital. Putin declared him a traitor and seemed destined for a bloody showdown. Then in a dizzying turn it was announced that Prighozin would be allowed to retire to Belarus and his troops disbanded. 

To try and understand what happened and what it means for Putin’s hold on power in Russia, "Hot Wash" host John Sorensen speaks with Kathryn Stoner, the Mosbacher Director at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Hoover Institution. Her most recent book is "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order." 

Read Kathryn Stoner's article in the Atlantic, "Why Putin Let Prigozhin Go"

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