Moscow Mutiny Fizzles, Israel, and the Special Olympics

The Coup That Wasn't

An uprising by Russia's top paramilitary group against Kremlin officials ended nearly as quickly as it began over the weekend, with Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin going into exile in neighboring Belarus. The challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority followed months of simmering tensions between the group and military brass (see timeline).

Events rapidly escalated Friday when the former Putin confidant released a video calling for the ouster of top defense officials (while denying a coup attempt against Putin). By Saturday morning, Wagner—a private military force numbering around 25,000—had captured the southern city of Rostov and began to march toward Moscow.

Within hours, Prigozhin announced he would turn his troops around following a Belarus-brokered deal. Prigozhin departed to Belarus while the Kremlin dropped charges of treason and offered amnesty to Wagner troops. The deal ended what observers had called the biggest threat to Putin since he assumed power in 2000.

Analysts speculated Prigozhin may have overestimated popular support for the effort once already en route to Moscow before abandoning the effort, while US intelligence reportedly detected signs of the uprising in advance. 

How the events and loss of Prigozhin on the battlefield will affect the war in Ukraine remains to be seen; see updates here.

FDA Guidance on Psychedelics

The US Food and Drug Administration released a draft of guidelines for research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics Friday, initiating a 60-day public comment period. Observers see the move as the latest step toward potentially legitimizing classic psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA, which have long faced cultural and medical stigma.

Psychedelics are powerful, psychoactive compounds that temporarily alter perception, mood, and other cognitive processes, and have been used for millennia for their mind-altering effects (see overview). Synthetic versions sparked popular use in the 1970s, leading to their designation as Schedule 1—or banned—drugs. However, research in recent years suggests medically supervised use can likely treat prevalent mood, anxiety, and substance disorders, prompting both private investment and public legislation to further explore the drugs' medical applications.

Officials released the nonbinding recommendations two days after a bipartisan group of lawmakers filed a bill in Congress seeking to require the FDA to produce such a document. Watch how psychedelics affect the human brain here.

Netanyahu Trial Continues

Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan began providing key testimony yesterday in a long-running corruption case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prosecutors claim Milchan provided Netanyahu with a string of gifts totaling more than $200K in exchange for pushing legislation that would grant Milchan favorable tax status. 

The allegations form the center of one of three high-profile corruption cases, which have dragged on for years due to the pandemic and various legal challenges and have now been rolled into a single trial (see overview). The proceedings have spanned the deaths of multiple witnesses and seen Netanyahu both be voted out and back into office amid the country's larger political gridlock. 

In related news, nearly 100,000 protesters gathered in Tel Aviv for the 25th straight week, demonstrating against judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu's government. See an explanation of the proposal here.   

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