The

Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine unleashed chaos across the region.

Now the turmoil has come to Russia itself.

And even for a leader known for crushing dissent and enforcing consensus, Putin can't hide

it from his people.

I think there's been incompetence and dysfunction in Ukraine.

Now we see incompetence weakness and dysfunction at home.

John Cipher once ran Russia operations for the CIA and is now a senior fellow at the

Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center.

He told NPR that Vogder Group leader Yefgeny Pregozion's rebellion has left Putin with

some tough choices.

You know, if he lets Pregozion go, he looks weak.

You know, one minute he's calling him a scum trader and Pregozion shot down Russian

helicopters in the next minute he's gone.

But if he tries to kill Pregozion, that's dangerous too.

Pregozion has shown himself to have some real populist appeal.

He has this strong narrative that the Russian leaders are fat cats with yachts and children

in Europe and they're sending Russian boys to be slaughtered in Ukraine.

Indeed, Belorussian leader Alexander Lukashenko and ally of Putin's claims that he talked

Putin out of killing Pregozion.

Here's NPR's Charles Mans.

Lukashenko says he told Putin, okay, we can kill him no problem, but it's a bad idea.

...