Mr. Putin today is not who he was last week. Is Mr. Putin really the all-powerful, czar-like figure they thought he was? Mr. Prigozhin, while becoming a relatively popular figure among certain groups, was never a serious or convincing candidate as a national leader. First, he said that to defeat the enemy in Ukraine, Russians should tighten their belts and be ready to live like North Koreans. Replace Mr. Putin, his teacher in the profession of gaining power?

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Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Putin’s, Aleksandr Lukashenko of, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, North Koreans, Russia, Moscow, Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, Russian