Comments by "N Velsen" (@nvelsen1975) on "Russia still hopes for a quick victory" video.

@seanthomas5303 In the end this is all hard to predict since none of us have inside information on Putin's clique or what the clique in power even is. Wagner being destroyed trying to take Bakhmut could be either Prigozhin using the option of a victory in Bakhmut to set himself up as the next führer after Putin OR a powerplay by some general wanting to eliminate Prigozhin's power, who got a majority of high command and his side and told Prigozhin that if there's any of his mercenaries left alive by the start of 2023 AND Bakhmut is not yet in Russian hands, he is likely going to accidentally fall out a window. In that scenario causing as many Wagner casualties as possible is a tool because Prigozhin can't conscript, therefore the end of Wagner troops is the end of Prigozhin's power, thus achieving the goals of his rivals. So killing off Wagner at a staggering rate can be done for two contradicting reasons. I guess the real conclusion is totalitarian dictatorships are difficult to predict unless you've got inside intel about the top levels or you can make educated broad predictions like "Xi Jinping was put in a concentration camp by maoists, his hatred for the maoist faction in the CCP is unlikely to ever stop". But gods know from under which rock they plucked a thug like Prigozhin, so good luck predicting a bunch of people like that all playing at power.
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