IT IS A RIDDLE, WRAPPED IN A MYSTERY, INSIDE AN ENIGMA; BUT PERHAPS THERE IS A KEY. THAT KEY IS RUSSIAN NATIONAL INTEREST: Putin met with Yevgeny Prigozhin after coup attempt.

I am genuinely curious to see how this all plays out, and not only for the obvious reason that what happens in Russia is a matter of world-historical importance. The stakes have risen very high with the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a collapse of the Russian government, so of course I want to know the details.

But frankly, I am just super curious about the bizarre goings-on. The story involves a hot dog vendor who becomes a warlord, a KGB agent who murders his opponents with Polonium, Russian windows that are also portals to the great beyond, threats of nuclear war, wigs, novelty mugs, and what appears to be the plot of a Mission Impossible movie.

I want to know what happens next, and if Tom Cruise is somehow involved.

Seriously, the strange turn of events makes it pretty clear that few, if any, have a clear idea of what is actually happening and why. Does Prighozin have a nuke stashed somewhere? Why would Putin meet with Prighozin, offer him more work, and then proceed to raid his home but not have him killed?

I can’t wait to see the movie.

Flashback: The Wagner ‘Coup’ Was Staged by Putin—and the West Fell for It. “Think about it: An army invades Russia, race right up to Moscow, and no one gets hurt? With just a few thousand men, it achieved what Hitler with almost a million men wasn’t able to? And Putin holds his military back? And then, with Moscow supposedly within his grasp, Prigozhin decides, ‘Oh well, never mind’ and heads to Belarus?”