Jester or rebel? Mercenary Prigozhin lays bare the strains of Putin's war

FILE PHOTO: Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as he stand next to Wagner fighters in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Bakhmut, Ukraine, in this still image taken from video released May 20, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday delivered Vladimir Putin one of the few battlefield victories of the president's 15-month war in Ukraine.

Even then, Russia's most powerful mercenary could not resist breaking the taboos of Putin's tightly controlled political system.