There is a recording of an oligarch close to the Russian gov saying Vladimir Putin is "very ill w/

[stopdiggin]

5. Yes, but ....

No where near the cult of personality that Putin has cultivated over the past 20 years. That changes the dynamic - both within the government machine, as well as the relationship to the Russian citizens. Does an unpopular war effort (with perhaps measures upping the ante necessary to sustain) become more, or less, tenable under the new equation?

(note, I am making no prediction at all about how likely, or immediate, any such scenario involving Putin's health really is)