ROGER KIMBALL: The Art of the Deal, Russian Style.

I suspect that the columnist Peter Hitchens, who was in Moscow in 1991 during another failed coup, was right about two things.

First, brutal though Putin may be, he is, in comparison to people like Prigozhin, “a cautious, milksop moderate.”

Second, Hitchens is right that “militant Russian nationalism is a powerful political force that Putin struggles to keep on his side at the best of times.”

These aren’t the best of times, and Prigozhin’s excellent coup adventure, not to mention Putin’s rocky adventure in Ukraine, can’t have endeared Putin to such chthonic forces.

The appearance of weakness is unacceptable.

It’s also unforgivable.

Which means that, political calculus being what it is, Putin, no matter what deal was struck, “surely cannot now leave Prigozhin unpunished.”

Exit quote: “I’m grateful, in any case, that I’m not in charge of writing life insurance policies for him or for the rebellious mercenaries under his command.”