Is this the downfall of Vladimir Putin and why did it take a murdering warlord to weaken him? For all Putin's apologists now is the time of reckoning. Russian leadership is not stable nor to be admired for its strength. It reeks of weakness & dictatorship. And what of the Russian people, the mothers, the sons...what do they want? Do they hope for leadership change or do they still fear, or admire, Putin?