Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time while he works out how to deal with Yevgeny Prighozin, says the director of the CIA.
Mr Prigozhin is the head of the Wagner mercenary group who led a mutiny in Russia a month ago.
That mutiny exposed significant weaknesses in the system of power Putin has built, CIA head William Burns said.
He told the Aspen Security Forum that Russia's leader may still seek retribution against Mr Prigozhin.
"What we are seeing is a very complicated dance," the CIA chief said on Thursday.
Mr Prigozhin has moved around but had been in the Belarus capital of Minsk recently as well as Russia, he said when asked about a recent video apparently showing the Wagner boss in Belarus.
Mr Putin is likely to be trying to buy time as he works out how best to deal with the leader of the Wagner group, Mr Burns added.
That mercenary group still has value for Russia's leadership in places like Africa, Libya and Syria and so it was likely that Mr Putin would try and separate the group from its leader.
And the CIA chief said that Mr Putin may wait to exact revenge.
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