Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny. Absent from view too is Gen. Sergei Surovikin.
It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending the Wagner mutiny that threatened to destabilize the world's largest nuclear power.
The announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, that his fighters will abandon the city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation.
Inside Russia, the incident helped reinforce the Kremlin-backed narrative that its war in Ukraine is an existential one for the Russian state and people.
Vladimir Kara-Murza spoke out against President Vladimir Putin for years and successfully lobbied Western governments to impose sanctions on Russia.
The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has grabbed headlines over his role in Ukraine and is sometimes portrayed in the West as a real-life James Bond villain.
Prominent Putin supporters have contrasted the Wagner Group's progress with what they say has been a less impressive performance by the regular military.
Sergei Surovikin recommended Moscow's forces quit Kherson, and now the Hero of Russia recipient is under pressure on the cusp of winter to show his bet was the right one.
Russian leader's grip on power remains firm despite military setbacks in Ukraine, a botched mobilization and political infighting, eight well-informed sources say.
In his most recent comments, Putin explicitly warned the West that he would use all available means to defend Russian territory.
