The Russian people bewildered: “Why, they told us that Prigozhin was a hero”

Putin was an admirer of Silvio Berlusconi (largely reciprocated). Yet he should have paid more attention to the ideas of a great Italian of the 15th century, Nicolò Machiavelli. In Il Principe, the Florentine secretary wrote: «If a Prince holds his state based on mercenary arms, he will never be still or secure, because they are… infidels». Giacomo Sforza was digging the land when he decided to become a mercenary captain, while Yevgeny Prigozhin ran an excellent restaurant in St. Petersburg, but the result could be the same: the former ensured his descendants the Duchy of Milan while the latter could soon become the master of an important piece of great Russia.