From Russia, with loath

"This rebellion in Russia might be far from over. After seeing the mayhem and carnage that Putin has unleashed on Ukraine, my sympathies are not with Russia right now. I just want this war to end, and Putin tried for war crimes."

Oh that dirty little war. Remember that war? The one Putin started on Ukraine, which was supposed to have taken a few days. How is that war really going for Mother Russia? Let's just say poorly. How many troops has Russia lost in the past 16 months of carnage? Classified by the Kremlin. And what is up with this rebellion by the once loyal Wagner Group? I guess the conscripts in the Group did not like fighting without Moscow-supplied ammo. 

All of a sudden, the mean and powerful leader of Russia, who liked to ride horseback showing off his pecs, looks more like Walter Mitty. His BFF, who was heading up the Wagner Group, now looks more like Brutus with a knife than his long-time pal. And even though this ended well for the Group, Putin has been weakened beyond belief. Get ready for more of the same. A new king of the hill in Moscow is in the wings.

What does that mean for us? For NATO? For Ukraine? Maybe nothing - maybe everything. Why say that? Putin was not the weakest link in the chain. There are plenty of warlords ready to take over Russia and "kick some butt". And let us not forget, the thousands of nukes there are in Russia, just sitting around gathering dust. 

Meanwhile, I wonder what Xi in China is thinking about this mess in Russia. My guess is what is happening in Russia might be giving Xi some pause to think. And what about Modi from India? Even though not a close pal like China is, India is still buying arms and oil from Russia. Could this be an opportunity to really get India tucked under our wing? Make them a stronger ally? Opportunities might be presenting themselves. 

Stay tuned folks. This rebellion in Russia might be far from over. After seeing the mayhem and carnage that Putin has unleashed on Ukraine, my sympathies are not with Russia right now. I just want this war to end, and Putin tried for war crimes. Then let Ukraine go back to being farmers and feeding much of the world.