Putin gets a A Scapegoat

Russia's military is reportedly taking control of the mutinous Wagner mercenary organization, including the group's overseas operations in Africa and Syria, according to the Wall Street Journal, reporting Wednesday.

Russian authorities have also reportedly detained a top general, Sergey Surovikin, commander of the Aerospace Forces, over allegations he knew about but did not stop the Wagner "baby coup" last weekend, several outlets reported over the past 24 hours, including the Moscow Times, and the Financial Times.

Surovikin is the general that U.S. officials allege likely colluded with Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to the New York Times, reporting Tuesday. According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, "If Russian authorities did arrest Surovikin then the Kremlin will likely use Surovikin and his affiliates as scapegoats to publicly explain why the Russian military and Russian internal security apparatuses responded poorly to the rebellion and to justify a potential overhaul of the Russian military leadership."