Putin looks weaker than ever but his opponents should expect vengeance

The Wagner mutiny has damaged the Russian president's standing but close watchers of the Kremlin believe he is biding his time before responding

Four days after Vladimir Putin faced the most serious challenge to his 23-year leadership, the Russian president called in the country's top media figures for a briefing in the Kremlin.

The panic of last weekend, as the troops of renegade warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin seemed set to march into Moscow, was still fresh in people's minds. Putin, who had disappeared from public view for nearly two days as the crisis came to a head, was now holding meetings with various key players, including the editors of loyal media outlets, to project an image of calm control.