No mercy, no shame, no tomorrow

The public execution of Yevgeny Prighozin and close associates encapsulates most spectacularly the way that Vladimir Putin exercises his absolute power – with no mercy, no shame, no tomorrow. As the invasion of Ukraine has shown daily over the past 18 months, the Russian president behaves on our 21st century screens like a monarch of past ages. Many of us believed that the international community would not accept the continuation of the war when images of the dead and injured would start showing up on our screens. We were mistaken. The slaughter of civilians, the violation of international law and the rules of war did not move enough Russians or the international audience to the extent that Russia would be forced to stop the war. Indeed, a large number of countries found an opportunity for closer ties with Russia, while too many citizens everywhere simply absorbed the daily news from Ukraine into their everyday routine. 

In this way, Putin can not only carry out barbaric acts without worrying about what the world will say, but, as he is not pressured to stop, he is almost “obliged” to seek triumph at any cost. He has invested all his prestige (in other words, his survival) on a military victory. As this is not forthcoming, and becoming less likely, the concerns and complaints of close associates will, naturally, become louder. Prighozin’s rebellion two months ago was a deadly threat. To deal with it, Putin had no choice but to double down on his effort to win in Ukraine and, by eliminating such a close associate, prove to all that he remains in control at home. 

This is the trap for all who rule by gangster methods. When the most effective, the most brutal, of their lieutenants question them, they have no choice but to get rid of them. They rely more and more on incompetents and those who hide their thoughts, keeping them in line through terror. As they grow ever more dependent on fear and fortune, their understanding of reality is warped further. They hope that the enemy will buckle while they themselves are not capable of achieving this. Every day they are in greater danger of their frightened “close associates.”