When Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a short address to the nation Monday night, his first remarks since a negotiated end to the weekend’s violent rebellion, he was visibly angry as he spoke of national betrayal.
While he didn’t mention Yevgeny Prigozhin by name, his target was clear. So is the narrative that is being pushed by the government and the popular television channels under its control.
Their message is that Putin needed to strike a deal with Prigozhin to avoid more bloodshed, and that the decision to negotiate with a man he labelled a traitor was made by a pragmatic leader, not
