When the Wagner mutiny first happened in late June, it shocked most strategists and observers in China. To them, it added a whole new layer of uncertainty to their understanding of Russian domestic politics, the Russian-Ukrainian War, and China’s overall external security environment. With Russian President Vladimir Putin now appearing to put the mutiny behind him, China’s policy toward Russia is unlikely to change dramatically.
However, the mutiny’s impact on China’s assessment of its future external strategy should not be ignored. The mutiny offered a rare but clear example of vulnerability and instability within the Russian system. This raises moreThe post Beijing’s Wagner Wariness appeared first on War on the Rocks.