Washington | For more than a year, US officials have quietly asked themselves a question they would not dare pose in public: could Russia’s botched invasion of Ukraine eventually lead to the downfall of Russian President Vladimir Putin?

For a few chaotic, head-snapping hours at the weekend, the notion did not seem so far-fetched. But even with the apparent end to the immediate threat posed by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellious mercenary army, the short-lived uprising suggested Mr Putin’s hold on power is more tenuous than at any time since he took office more than two decades ago.