Putin Scrambles To Reassure Allies Following Mercenary Mutiny

Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to counterparts in Central Asia on June 24 in an attempt to project normality amid an unfolding mutiny mounted by the Wagner mercenary formation, which has done much of the fighting in Ukraine. In his telephone exchange with Putin, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed hope of a return to “law and order,” but was explicit in stating that he sees ongoing events as an “internal affair for Russia.” “Constitutional order and rule of law are an indispensable…