[avmich]

We also seen and heard things like Naryshkin's astonishment and Joseph Prigozhin's phone discussion, and other things since then, which may suggest that elites don't really see a good short-term alternative to what they keep doing.

No man rules alone, but Joseph Stalin kept updating the closest circle for decades, and recent changes in federal government show that some thought previously unassailable can suddenly move with noticeable reductions of abilities.