The Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to buy time while working out a revenge plan against Yevgeny Prigozhinsays the CIA director, William Burnsreports in his publication BBC.

Speaking to Aspen Security Forum said that the president of Russia may seek revenge against Mr. Prigozhin. “What we see is a very complicated dance”the CIA chief said Thursday.

Mr Putin is likely trying to buy time as he works out the best way to deal with team leader Wagneradded Burns.

Russia’s leadership still needs Wagner in places like Africa, Libya and Syria and so it is possible that Putin will try to separate the group from its leader.

“Putin is someone who generally believes that revenge is a dish best served cold”said the Burns. “In my experience, Putin is the ultimate exponent of retributionso I’ll be surprised if Prigozhin further avoids the consequences.”

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden stated that there was a risk of Prigozhin being poisoned. “If I were him, I would watch what I eat. I would look at my menu,” the president said. The CIA director echoed this thought by saying: “If I were Prigozhin, I wouldn’t fire my taster.”

The intelligence agency did have advance knowledge of the mutiny, Burns said, confirming earlier reports.

The mutiny was the most direct attack Putin has faced in his 23 years in powerincluding directly challenging his arguments about the war in Ukraine, with Prigozhin saying they were built on lies, Burns said.

He added that most notably, the leader of Russia felt compelled to make a deal with a man who was a supporter of histhe CIA chief said.

Putin has projected an image of himself as the arbiter of order in Russia, so the 36 hours of rebellion will have left many in the country with the question “did the emperor have no clothes, or at least why does it take him so long to get dressed?”said the Burns.

That could reignite deeper questions in the Russian elite about Mr. Putin’s judgmentwhich have been in place since his decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

If Ukraine makes further progress on the battlefieldthen this could lead more Russians to pay attention to Prigozhin’s criticism of the warhe added.