Russia

[Sir Tigger KC]

Well it seems that Putin's attack dog has turned on him. 

Civil war? Coup d'etat?

Photos of Russian armoured units on the streets of Moscow and even digging trenches and defensive positions on the outskirts.  Meanwhile it seems Rostov on Don  is under the control of Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries, while Prigozhin himself is on route to Moscow. 

Popcorn time......

[STEMO]

Can't figure it out, myself. It said Wagner advanced up the M4 motorway to a second city halfway towards Moscow. Russia has an airforce, so........

[ronnyd]

Can't figure it out, myself. It said Wagner advanced up the M4 motorway to a second city halfway towards Moscow. Russia has an airforce, so........

Probably run out of elastic bands.

[Varche]

I see Xi has written himself a note

Don't use mercenaries!

[Sir Tigger KC]

Can't figure it out, myself. It said Wagner advanced up the M4 motorway to a second city halfway towards Moscow. Russia has an airforce, so........

Apparently Wagner have shot down three Russian helicopters and an Antonov AN-26 transport plane. 

Interesting Twitter thread from Leo Kearse here including footage of the AN-26 falling from the sky...

https://twitter.com/LeoKearse/status/1672401584515366915

[STEMO]

Can't figure it out, myself. It said Wagner advanced up the M4 motorway to a second city halfway towards Moscow. Russia has an airforce, so........

Apparently Wagner have shot down three Russian helicopters and an Antonov AN-26 transport plane. 

Interesting Twitter thread from Leo Kearse here including footage of the AN-26 falling from the sky...

https://twitter.com/LeoKearse/status/1672401584515366915

More video on there than the BBC

[Doctor Gollum]

Deploying troops in Moscow could back fire most spectacularly...

If they decide that they have had enough then it wouldn't take much to turn on Putin.

The only question is whether there is actually a viable alternative to Vlad the Bad to pick up the pieces

[Sir Tigger KC]

Apparently Putin has buggered off to St Petersburg along with most of the Russian Govt. 

Meanwhile here's a video of Kadyrov's Chechen special forces stuck in traffic on their way to sort out Prigozhin's Wagner men! (Allegedly) 

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672653677222572032

[Doctor Gollum]

Is that the equivalent of a weekend at Chequers?

[Varche]

Dead man walking.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Henceforth known as the Russian version of the Grand old Duke of York .

[STEMO]

Henceforth known as the Russian version of the Grand old Duke of York .

Very good, Albs 

[STEMO]

A very unsatisfactory ending for Putin. He may have averted this particular crisis, but he's come out of it looking weak and unable to face down people without using his stooges to do the talking.
Mind you, I doubt we are privy to the most important conversations.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Dead man walking.

According to the BBC Prigozhin will go and live in Belarus, so he'll be a dead man walking in Belarus.

Wagner shot down 5 Russian helicopters today, including a KA52 'Alligator'. That's a few million dollars worth of kit and expensively trained pilots gone. 

Anyone for Polonium tea?   

[LC0112G]

Dead man walking.

Wagner shot down 5 Russian helicopters today, including a KA52 'Alligator'. That's a few million dollars worth of kit and expensively trained pilots gone. 

The bigger military loss will be the "An26", coz it wasn't an An26 - it was an IL-20 which is an electronic surveillance plane similar to the USAF/RAF's RC-135's.