Thread by @RepSlotkin

Breathtaking events in Russia, & my team & I have been up most of the night watching history unfold. While we’re still watching events in real time, a few things are clear:

First, Russians fighting Russians on Russian soil, which we haven’t seen since the 1991 coup attempt, is born directly from Russia’s failures in Ukraine. Military forces with clear plans, chain of command, & operational success don’t devolve into violence against themselves.

This is the clearest public confirmation of the folly of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And remember: Wagner, a private military force, was brought into Ukraine & put on the frontlines because of the failures of Russia’s regular military.

This would be the equivalent of the U.S. military depending on an armed defense contractor, & that contractor then turning on U.S. leadership & marching to D.C. The weakness of the once-formidable Russian military is stunning.

This isn’t just a problem for Putin inside Russia – it calls into question whether Russia can withstand Ukraine’s summer offensive. Wagner led some of the small military victories in Ukraine, so this is a chance for Ukraine’s forces to further liberate their land – stay tuned.

Last, while any challenge to Putin’s dictatorship is historic, we should remember: Prigozhin & Wagner are not good guys coming to liberate Russia & make it a blooming democracy. Remember, Prigozhin troll farms & influence operations targeted U.S. elections in 2016.

U.S. posture at this stage should be watching events closely, assisting our Ukrainian allies in exploiting any battlefield opportunities, & staying flexible & alert at an unpredictable moment in history.