SEOUL -- This weekend, as members of the Wagner paramilitary group moved toward Moscow in an uprising against President Vladimir Putin's authority, some of the most rapt observers of the unfolding tumult were the Asian countries who share cordial ties with Russia.
Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, agreed to call off the mission saying he did not wish to spill blood, but only after his troops had mounted the boldest challenge to Putin during his decades in power. The events raise difficult questions about the ability of Putin's regime to fulfill its stated objective of maintaining stability in a massive, unequal and nuclear-armed country.
.JPG?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)
