Russian people are not as unaware of current events as you may think. It’s not like they don’t have access to the internet, and the Russian media reporting on the day was not any less detailed or timely than Western media.

A common take that I’ve seen is that both Putin and Prigozhin appeared weak: Prigozhin by backing out, Putin by having no one standing up against Prigozhin as he drove into Rostov, and then letting Prigozhin off without any major repercussions.

It’s unlikely that Prigozhin will come back due to completely discrediting himself in front of whatever support he had, but it’s possible someone else may attempt the same thing at a later point. After all, if they win, they take everything; if they lose, they get a slap on the wrist.