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Vladimir Putin: The indispensable weak Russian leader

The Wagner insurrection may have exposed the Russian President’s vulnerability, but regime change is not necessarily in the West’s interests.

During the 23 years he has been in power, Mr Vladimir Putin and the West have been through a dizzying rollercoaster of political ups and downs.

PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Jonathan Eyal

Although short-lived,

against Russian President Vladimir Putin was, without doubt, the most severe political jolt felt by Russia’s ruling class in a generation.

In less than one day, the man who ruled Russia unopposed since the turn of the century and seemed set to continue ruling it well into the 2030s

And a vast country ruled from Moscow with an iron fist appeared to be on the brink of civil war.