The Wagner Group

[MAD87]

Russian air force has to take them out before they get too close to Moscow.

Looks like they have started doing just that. Putin is now fighting 2 wars. Couldn't happen to a nicer chap.

Hear hear!

[Char]

Well ................. it's a bloody funny time for Alexander Lukashenko to decide it's OK to be away from Belarus. He rarely leaves his soil unless, of course, it's for Moscow; but suddenly he's in Turkey.

Does he know something we don't?

The whole thing's rather bizarre isn't it - I've just read this as well

There have been numerous reports that Vladimir Putin’s presidential plane took off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport at 2.16pm local time (1216 BST) and then headed north-west.

According to data from the FlightRadar tracking website, the plane reached the Tver area – about 110 miles from Moscow and where Putin has a residence – before disappearing from the system.

But, who's got the Nukes? that's a bit concerning.

[ajm]

And now the end is near, and as I face the final curtain........
Fingers crossed.

[Biloute]

CIA paying more than Putin.

But beware, I think Prigozhin may be as bad as Putin - although hopefully he would quit Ukraine.

Remember also, Wagner troops are battle hardened - those around Moscow are likely to be less so.

"CIA paying more than Putin"
This is an interesting point and it makes sense...
The USA would therefore have offered a lot of money to Prigozhin and his officers to rebel against Putin... After all, they are mercenaries: they sell themselves...
But why didn't they do it sooner? Let's continue the fiction:
- because after all these months Putin's army has weakened and it will be enough for the CIA to provide some means to Prigozhin so that he can finish off the Russian army
- because the ruins have accumulated in Ukraine and the USA will earn more money for reconstruction
And the Nukes, in all this? Not easy for Putin to use against Prigozhine in his own country... If Putin is sure that the CIA paid Prigozhine, he could hit the USA but they would retaliate.
We are brought back to the question we have been asking ourselves for 16 months: "what is the limit of Putin's stupidity?"
Why can't countries live without pissing others off?

[Bayleaf]

According to data from the FlightRadar tracking website, the plane reached the Tver area – about 110 miles from Moscow and where Putin has a residence – before disappearing from the system.

It has been confirmed that he has indeed, left Moscow. Can we call him "Fledimir"?

[Char]

Can we call him "Fledimir"?

Love it !

[DaveW]

It really doesn’t make sense as reported, a column of anything travelling on a motorway in Russia would be wiped out in minutes by the Russian air force, why hasn’t it ? There are rumours of army divisions changing sides, that may be part of the ploy, who knows?

Or rather, we will know within a few days, lets just hope it’s better than today’s version.

[Bayleaf]

It really doesn’t make sense as reported, a column of anything travelling on a motorway in Russia would be wiped out in minutes by the Russian air force, why hasn’t it ?

There's a lot of civilians on the roads - some of them being stopped, removed from their trucks, then the trucks being used as road blocks. Nice touch! We know Putrid and his cronies don't care about civilian life when they can be used as human shields, so ....

[DaveW]

A tank on a truck remains what it is - an easy target. Push the the button and forget.

[Char]

Apparently they've given up now and are returning to their base.
Now I'm even more confused than I was when this all kicked off earlier.