The Putin's setup theory is the most convincing I've heard so far.
One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that Prigozhin used an alleged Russian missile attack on a wagner base as justification to start this charade. If the Russian government really wanted to neutralize Wagner, one can only think they would have taken more effective and quick measures to do so, rather than a half-hassed missile attack. There's no logic behind it, some piece of the puzzle is missing.
Prigozhin videos from the last months show a man trying to find a credible excuse to get out from the frying pan, without being prosecuted by desertion, and before being killed while sleeping by his own men trapped in Bahmut.
In some way he succeeded into putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Ukraine counterattack (even if this means selling Wagner to the Russian army in exchange for a golden ticket for himself and the Wagner leaders). All without looking like a treason towards the rest of mercenaries.
Would not surprise me if the other wagnerites will be forced to enter in the Russian army and used routinely as cannon fodder, as they did before with the Russian soldiers.
One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that Prigozhin used an alleged Russian missile attack on a wagner base as justification to start this charade. If the Russian government really wanted to neutralize Wagner, one can only think they would have taken more effective and quick measures to do so, rather than a half-hassed missile attack. There's no logic behind it, some piece of the puzzle is missing.