i'd call this one of those 'you decide' items but its been speculated that the 'coup' was a false flag;

'No, this is all staged': Ex-CIA analyst claims Putin 'orchestrated' the Wagner coup with Prigozhin as a 'classic false flag' to boost recruitment for the army and make West think he is weakened

• Ex-CIA analyst Rebekah Koffler claimed Vladimir Putin 'orchestrated' the coup
• She suggested Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhi worked together to stage the uprising
• Kremlin faces a 'deeply unstable' situation after the Wagner truce, experts warn

An ex-CIA analyst has claimed Vladimir Putin 'orchestrated' the coup with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhi in a 'classic false flag' to try to make the West believe his army had weakened.

Rebekah Koffler told Fox News' Eric Shawn on Saturday the coup was staged as a way for the Russian leader to boost his political power and he will eventually 'gain momentum, mobilize additional personnel, and re-energize his offensive on Ukraine.'

Prigozhin's forces moved from their camps in Ukraine into Russia on Friday and took over a regional military command in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, before advancing toward Moscow..........more.......