President Vladimir Putin appears to be in firm control of Russia today, but in order to maintain it in the years ahead, he will have to manage at least three primary challenges.

The short-lived Wagner Group revolt highlighted for Europeans the fragility of Vladimir Putin’s regime and their own vulnerability to an unstable Russia.

The meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow helped both give the impression of a united front, but underlying tensions were also discernible.

A failure by the United States to continue military aid to Ukraine would spell disaster for Ukraine and its Western allies while emboldening Russia and other potential aggressors.

Numerous competing theories are likely to surface about the demise of the Russian paramilitary commander—all of which help explain Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Russia’s moves to mobilize thousands more troops and to annex more of Ukraine’s territory signal a new, potentially more dangerous phase of the war.