 This is a think-tech commentary dealing with the question of whether Putin can come back. Thanks for your consideration of the views expressed in this commentary. Can Putin come back? For now, probably. But he'll have to work at it. He is clever and retributive enough to deal with the current loss of face, but it remains possible, if not likely, that what has happened will undermine his long-term ability to retain control and will make him more vulnerable and more dangerous in dealing with other threats that will arise for him in the future. We don't know exactly how, but we do know that things in Russia have changed. Certainly, the insurrection has damaged Putin at home. His relationships with the generals, the oligarchs, and the bureaucracy were profoundly affected as they watched the Prigosin and Wagner Group march on Moscow. Although the Russians who have remained in Russia have been reluctant to speak against him, it is likely that many of them, especially those who have lost their children in his inexplicable war, now question him, damage control propaganda, or not. But what are his options? Will he be able to repair the damage? Should we be concerned about the things he will do to escape his embarrassment? We know he will do lots of propaganda on state TV. He will develop a dangerous new friendship with Prigosin and the Wagner Group. He will buy off or jail oligarchs who might question him. He will initiate more false charges against those he sees as adversaries. He will persecute scapegoats wherever he can find them. He will terrify everyone, perhaps even more than before. Putin's reputation has also been further damaged in the international community, where he doesn't have the same control as at home. He will try to reconnect with autocratic allies like China that may now have less confidence in him. He will do everything he can to get our attention and to recover and project power on the world stage. That includes doing unthinkable things in Ukraine like threatening a nuclear catastrophe at Zaporizhia, just as he did by blowing up the Kukovka Dam, and by repeatedly attacking civilian targets to show he is still in charge and still out of control. There's no doubt that Putin will continue to foment unrest in the countries of Europe including France and in the United States to fragment our political will. Remember, Prigosin was Putin's social media disinformation chief, who helped him support Trump in 2016. Putin will also give the Wagner Group open license to continue its war crime operations in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and in the process to have us all forget about the insurrection and to distract and defer us from providing the necessary support for Ukraine. The bottom line is that the insurrection in Russia has changed things profoundly in ways we don't yet know. So we should be watching what Putin does and how all of this could affect Russia, Europe, Asia and the United States. Of course, we'll continue to cover the story going forward, so stay tuned for more. Thanks for your consideration of the views expressed in this ThinkTech commentary. And thanks for watching ThinkTech Hawaii. Aloha.