Quote Originally Posted by poop
Seriously I don't think you understand how war works.
Ok Colonel.

What I don't understand is how an army of 25K can march on Moscow without being wiped out by the air force.

I understand that it's very difficult to take large swathes of territory back from an occupying force, but it's not nearly so difficult to take out a convoy. That Russian convoy that moved in on Kyiv didn't fare too well.

Russia were basically impotent.

Maybe it's got more to do with will than means. Wagner are not just fighting for profit, they are actively securing Russian interests in Africa by force while giving the Russian state plausible deniability. By taking out the approaching convoy, they lose control of all their geopolitical interests in Africa. That would explain why Putin didn't act. The price he'd pay wasn't worth it, better to just look weak. If that's true he's showing remarkable restraint for someone we all consider to be a lunatic.