Yup. If you get a partial "mal" and have a "bag of washing" over your head, as we call it in UK, your terminal velocity can drop to the point where you can survive, but you'll be all busted up at best. It happens.
Yes. He's been made an example of. That's kind of the point: "Tempted to commit fraud on a huge scale and wreck thousands of lives? Consider what we did to this guy."
On a much more severe scale, this is clearly the message that the Kremlin lavishly displayed of the initial treatment of the suspects involved in the Moscow Crocus Hall shootings/bombing - the results of severe torture send an unmistakable message of "Do not be tempted to try this (terrorism/attempted revolution" to the citizenry, with the implicit message that their very-short remaining lifespan will be very painful.
"Do not be tempted to try this (terrorism/attempted revolution" to the citizenry
And the citizenry are the only ones left who can be deterred by this message. Islamic State will switch to using suicide bombers who have no fear of torture.
My personal theory is that Prigozhin's aborted mutiny last year and Ukraine's sustained drone campaign against Russian oil infrastructure paved the way to the Crocus Hall attack. Now the doors have been opened and Russia's internal security has been revealed for the paper tiger that it is. Every single paramilitary group with a bone to pick with Russia has now been forcefully made aware of Putin's weakness and now they'll be lining up to copy these attacks. All the while, he continues to try to blame Ukraine for this despite all evidence to the contrary. Scary times to be living in Russia right now!
Not rude at all. I used to make several million a year. Then I got arrested and bank accounts frozen. I had to work stacking shelves in a supermarket. All my colleagues thought I was a BS artist when I said what I used to earn, and asked that question. Why wouldn't they? it's incongruous.
