Making Sense of a Chaotic 24 Hours for Putin and Russia

An armored personnel carrier today in the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Photographer: AFP/Getty Images

It’s been an extraordinary 24 hours in Russia.

A mercenary group led by a one-time ally of President Vladimir Putin marched his forces toward Moscow demanding the removal of the country’s top military commanders, only to abruptly reverse just shy of the capital.