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Russian President Vladimir Putin Addresses Nation As Wagner Group Claims Advances Inside Country; Ukraine Tweets "We Are Watching"; Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Claims Group Controls Military Facilities In Rostov-On-Don; Prigozhin Declares Russians Tricked Into War; U.S. And Canada Launch Investigations Into Submersible Implosion. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 24, 2023 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I am Kim Brunhuber.

We begin this hour with breaking news out of Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to speak to the nation soon as his country faces an unfolding crisis. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops now control military facilities in Russia's Rostov and Voronezh regions.

And he is threatening to move on to Moscow if top military leaders do not come down to meet him. But he claims that he is not interfering with Russian military operations in Ukraine areas.

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YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, FOUNDER, WAGNER GROUP (through translator): We are at headquarters at 7:30 am. Military facilities in Rostov, including the airfield, are under our control. Planes that leave for combat work (ph) leave as usual. No problems.

Medical flights are leaving as usual. All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): All right, you are looking at a live look right now at Moscow. You can see, it is quiet now after military vehicles had been spotted in the streets. Security has been stepped up in the Russian capital. The mayor saying that anti-terrorism measures are being carried out in the city.

State media is reporting that security forces have cordoned off a Wagner center in St. Petersburg. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That is happening after Russia opened a legal case against Prigozhin, accusing him of calling for an armed rebellion. On Friday he claimed that Russian military struck a Wagner camp and pledged retribution for that.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This social media video shows the alleged strike but CNN cannot verify its authenticity. Russia's defense ministry denied that accusation. Prigozhin later claimed that military helicopters also hit his troops and civilians before two aircraft were shot down.

It's unclear where the alleged incident happened. We are going to go right now to Vladimir Putin speaking.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): And everything must be put aside that makes us weaker. Any differences that may be used and are used by our enemies to disrupt us from within.

For the action that split our unity are basically an acts of (INAUDIBLE) and renegade actions against those fighting at the front. It is a stab in the back against our country and our nation.

And this spanned (ph) (INAUDIBLE) to Russia in 1917, when the country was fighting in World War I. But this victory was stolen from it. Intrigues, bickering behind the nation's back turned into a great catastrophe, for the destruction of army, the collapse of a state, the loss of huge vast territories and the tragedy of a civil war when Russians went against Russians and brother went against brother.

And profiting from that were various (INAUDIBLE) foreign forces that were tearing the country apart. We will not let that repeat. We will not let that happen again. We will defend our country and our state from any threats, including internal treason.

And what we are facing now is treason. Big ambitions and personal interests have led to the betrayal of one's country and one's nation. And the cause for which Wagner's group fight (INAUDIBLE) were fighting along with the armed forces.

The towns and villages of Donbas, where they fought and gave their lives for the new Russia (INAUDIBLE) of the Russian world, their (INAUDIBLE) and glory have been betrayed by those who are trying to organize an armed rebellion, pushing the country towards fratricide and civil war and ultimately to defeat and capitulation.

I repeat any internal rebellion is a deadly threat to our state, to us as a nation. It is a blow against Russia and against our people. And our action to defend our motherland against such a threat will be harsh. [03:05:00]

PUTIN (through translator): All those who deliberately went on the path of treason or preparing an armed rebellion or preparing terrorist attacks will be punished inevitably and will be held accountable -- they will be held account of by law.

The armed forces have been given the necessary orders; additional anti terrorist security measures have been imposed in Moscow, Moscow region and in other regions. Decisive measures will be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don, which still remains difficult.

The work of civil and military organ governments is actually blocked. As the president of Russia, commander in chief, as a citizen of Russia, I will do everything in my power to defend the country and defend its constitution and the lives, security and liberties of its citizens.

And the one who organized and prepared (INAUDIBLE) armed rebellion, who turned to face weapons against their comrades that betrayed Russia and will be held accountable for that.

Those who are being (INAUDIBLE) -- for the people being drawn on to this, I call upon you not to repeat the mistakes, previous mistakes. Stop any participation and criminal actions. I am sure that we will defend and protect what is dear and sacred to us.

Together with our motherland, we will overcome any ordeals and we will become even stronger.

BRUNHUBER: All right, that was Russian president Vladimir Putin just now, addressing the nation after the perceived threat of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. He said of Prigozhin's actions, quote, "It is a stab in the back against our country and our nation."

And he went on to say that, "We will defend our country and our state against any threats, including treason."

So Ivan Watson has been listening in to the speech.

Ivan, Vladimir Putin not mincing words there.

What stood out for you?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A couple of things. First of all -- and I missed the very top of his address there, which came an hour later than had been expected actually.

I did not hear him mention the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin at any time. So I thought that was significant, given that Prigozhin was once a Kremlin insider, who now seems to have turned on the state.

He has described this as treason, as a mutiny, as a crime against Russia. He invoked history. He said that, in 1917, there was an armed rebellion during World War I that led to civil war, where Russians ended up killing Russians, brothers ended up killing brothers. And he said that tragedy must not be repeated. There were a couple of

details toward the end of this that I thought were very important. He said that the armed forces and the security services had been issued additional orders for anti terrorist actions.

We know that has been announced in Moscow right now and he had it in other regions. He said that the situation in Rostov, that southern city and province, is complicated right now. And he conceded that the command structure of the military and the civilian government there is currently blockaded and that it would be dealt with.

So he also, finally, he tried to say that Russia is in an existential battle right now. It is facing off against the West, he argues, which is using all of its weapons and abilities to try to divide and hurt Russia. And that is why there needs to be a time of unity right now.

Finally, after really months of silence, where Yevgeny Prigozhin, the most powerful mercenary chief in Russia, had been directly criticizing, cursing the Russian military command, Putin has taken a position.

Now that you have mercenary groups on the ground, moving north through Russian territory, you finally have Putin coming out and saying, this will no longer stand.

The question is, is it too late?

BRUNHUBER: Ivan, this is a fast moving story.

In terms of where things stand right now, what is the latest on that?

WATSON: We know that Prigozhin himself popped up on video, claiming to have taken over command, taken over control of the Russian military command in the south of the country. That is in Rostov. And he is shown in videos, sitting alongside --

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WATSON: -- who we believe to be the deputy defense minister of Russia and a senior military intelligence general, who both looked very uncomfortable there. He accuses them of carrying out attacks against civilians, of sending Russian troops into the war in Ukraine without adequate leadership or military equipment.

They are kind of quiet and clearly very uncomfortable there. They ask about taking his fighters away from there. And he says under no condition. He says he is going to stay and blockade Rostov and move on Moscow unless the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, come and meet him.

In a separate video, he goes on to claim that the chief of general staff, Gerasimov, has actually fled the building that he is currently in as the Wagner group troops were approaching it. So we cannot independently confirm any of these claims.

We do though very much know that there are forces on the ground deployed around Rostov. He also claimed that his forces had taken over control of an airbase there.

And he has completely attacked the legitimacy of the entire Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, arguing that the pretext was not to fight alleged Nazis or to restore order but to help get promotions for the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu.

As we've heard now in this response from Putin, this is now down to effectively a power struggle between the Russian state, the Kremlin, the armed forces and this powerful mercenary group that has left the front lines in Ukraine and is now pointing its guns at the state in Russia.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely stunning developments. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thank you so much.

Just to bring you up to speed, moments ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the nation, said of the conflict it is a stab in the back and calling it treason. So amid all of that turmoil in Russia, a simple message from Ukraine's ministry of defense.

Quote, "We are watching."

Meanwhile, Russian political scientists shared this message.

Quote, "Everyone calm down. There is no revolution. Prigozhin straightaway clearly stated that he will not touch the authorities except for the already hostile military."

For more now on how those developments could affect Ukraine, we are joined by Ben Wedeman in Zaporizhzhya.

So Ben, I can just imagine how this is all being greeted there in Ukraine.

What has been the reaction?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the general feeling is, Kim, that this is Christmas in June for the Ukrainians. Keep in mind that, of course, Ukraine is in the very initial stages of its counteroffensive against Russian forces.

And this could not come at a better time for the Ukrainians, to have the Russian armed forces writ large, its mercenary core as well as its regular army, seeming to implode at the moment.

In fact, what is circulating on the internet here, on social media in Ukraine, is a picture of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a video of him from when he was an actor, popping a beer, sitting down in a comfortable armchair, picking up a bowl of popcorn and watching the TV.

And that seems to be the attitude and the reaction of many here. We have heard from an adviser to the presidency, talking about the infighting between the Russian elite at this critical moment and saying that everything is just beginning. Yesterday, in fact, we were in one of those front line areas, where it

appears that they are preparing for a push, for it to relaunch the major part of this counteroffensive.

And certainly this is the ideal time for the Ukrainians to do that, given what appears to be Russia's paralysis at the moment, trying to deal with this essentially uprising by Prigozhin against the defense establishment in Moscow -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, Ben Wedeman in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. Thank you so much.

I want to bring in CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, who joins us from London.

Nic, first I want to get your reaction to what we just heard from Putin. Certainly not mincing words about the perceived threat.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: He is not. And those people responsible will be held accountable. As Ivan was reporting, he is using language that says the military had been given additional powers, terrorist powers, in the Moscow region and other regions, Rostov-on-Don and a particular problem clearly.

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ROBERTSON: So it's so unusual to have this sort of language from President Putin to admit that there are problems and that he needs to take these extreme measures. So I think that gives you a sense of the severity and the difficulty of the situation.

But there must be questions in President Putin's mind. If we look back to the beginning of May, the end of April, one of the big feathers in Yevgeny Prigozhin's cap wasn't just that he was fighting the war for the Russian country in Bakhmut and helping the victory there.

It was that one of Russia's deputy defense ministers resigned from the defense ministry and less than a week later was absorbed into Wagner's mercenary group, into Prigozhin's mercenary group. Wagner, at a command position.

It seemed to indicate a level of support within the Russian military and particularly its hierarchy for Prigozhin's views, that this view must have some prevalence.

And that will be a concern for Putin, because the test is going to be now, when push comes to shove, which bits of the military can he rely on to take down Prigozhin?

How will Prigozhin's fighters stand by him?

And, of course, what will the outfall be?

And it's going to fall into very sharp focus whether or not the war in Ukraine is being fought properly, is worth being fought. And the more that the war in Ukraine and the necessity of the invasion

and having that fight is called into question, the more that it will weaken Putin's position. And I think that the other thing that just becomes clear is how isolated Putin has become.

He has stayed out of addressing this issue and in fact, it's remarkable how long he has allowed this developing agenda from Prigozhin to call Russia's military into question, to call out the chief of defense, Valery Gerasimov, to call out Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, as failing.

Now Putin has really had to step in and deal with it. But he has let it go for so long, a lot of damage has happened underneath the surface. And that also doesn't speak to Putin's strength, certainly for those in the close circle, in the Kremlin around him.

Those with a vested interest in the economic future of Russia will perhaps begin to question more whether he is the man to do it. This is not going to unfold today. Today it's a military operation. Today this is about taking down Prigozhin and ending this standoff that is developing in parts of the country.

It is not clear how quickly that is going to happen. But Putin, at this moment, is in a weaker because he has lost a very key and previously trusted core ally, one of the very few people that Putin will have trusted. And now will potentially leave him, Putin, more at the mercy of the diktat of his defense minister and defense staff.

BRUNHUBER: It's just hard to believe what is unfolding right now. I really appreciate your analysis, Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

Still ahead, the search for answers in the Titan submersible tragedy. What we are learning about what went wrong and when. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Want to start with our breaking news out of Russia. President Vladimir Putin is warning Wagner mercenaries that anyone involved in treason or an armed rebellion will be punished.

He spoke a short while ago, after Wagner's leader claimed his troops took control of military facilities in Russian cities of Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. Russia's defense ministry is urging Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries to return to their permanent deployment.

While a Russia media report, that security forces cordoned off Wagner's center in St. Petersburg. Earlier, CNN military analyst Mark Hertling weighed in on the crisis in Russia. And he spoke about the government's response to Prigozhin's threats and how the feud could have an impact on the war in Ukraine. Here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: We're seeing military vehicles loggering (ph), you know, forming groups within Red Square, increasing the security around the Moscow region itself.

You're also seeing on Telegram channels some firefights going on in the province of Rostov, which, as Oren just said, to the southeast and it's just over the border from Ukraine.

This is where Prigozhin said he was going to go with his forces and he also said his forces were attacked by helicopters when they were in a column going into that oblast in Russia.

But Rostov is about 200 miles away from Moscow. So you don't create a coup outside of a capital city where Putin is and holding court. But this comes at a horrible time. All afternoon long, you've seen Russian generals get on Telegram channels saying, Prigozhin, don't do what you're doing right now, it's going to be harmful to what we do.

You now see the map of Rostov outside the border of Ukraine. And, again, to the northeast of that is the capital of Moscow. It would take a long time for Prigozhin and his troops to do something within the capital city where a coup is normally formulated.

But you have all these generals, Russian generals on Telegram channels today saying, Prigozhin, don't do this, it's only going to hurt our cause. The Ukrainians are coming to our zero line, which what is they call their final defensive lines and we have control. don't mess with them now.

The problem is with that, Alisyn, there's a whole different subset between Russian generals and what's going on in the Kremlin and what the individual soldiers are experiencing on the front lines.

But when that trust and when that command infrastructure further breaks down, as we've seen it done so many times during this war within the Russian hierarchy, it only causes more problems at the front.

[03:25:00]

HERTLING: So this is a fascinating dynamic of personalities inside of Moscow and the Kremlin.

How much is it going to affect the front line?

I'm not sure just yet. But I got to tell you, I'd much rather be on the Ukrainian side right now than the Russian side, because there is utter chaos and dysfunction allegedly on the Russian side, whereas the Ukrainian side is continuing with their own momentum in their offensive.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: For more on this, I'm joined now by M. Steven Fish, a comparative political scientist who specializes in democracy and authoritarianism.

Thank you so much for joining us here. Moments ago, we just heard Putin's strongly worded response to the crisis, calling it a stab in the back and treason.

What stood out to you?

M. STEVEN FISH, DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UC BERKELEY: He is calling a traitor the same guy that he has been relying on for many months in the field in Ukraine. This is the only guy, Prigozhin, who has actually been able to make any battlefield gains.

And so far Putin has actually not stood up to him. So this makes Putin, in fact, look very weak indeed. Putin has been deluded since the beginning of this war. He should've never launched the war to begin with. And Prigozhin is the one guy who has been able to deliver some gains on the ground for him.

But then today Prigozhin also issued a video, where he questioned the whole basis for this war effort. He said that Putin's whole line about East Ukrainians, Russian speakers in East Ukraine being abused by the Ukrainian government, and using that as a pretext for this war was nonsense.

He said that the war was all about lining the pockets of Putin oligarchs. So he's undercut the whole basis for the war. And Putin has made himself dependent on this guy, who is now turning against him. So this is a very uncomfortable position for Putin to be in.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely and, as you say, Prigozhin has been testing the boundaries practically since the war began, challenging Moscow's authority.

Why do you think that Putin allowed Yevgeny Prigozhin this much leeway?

It seems odd that Putin wouldn't see what is happening now as the likely potential outcome.

FISH: He should've seen this all along. And it is possible that he did see the danger of it. But again Yevgeny Prigozhin is the only guy in the field who seems to be delivering gains.

The army and the ministry of defense are hopelessly corrupt. They really haven't been a very competent fighting force in Ukraine. And here comes this guy, who has this militant loyalty of all these thousands of troops that he pulls together.

A lot of them are former felons that he's pulled out of prison. He puts them together in this fighting formation and, they actually deliver some gains on the ground for Putin. So they are the only force that has been able to make any headway in Ukraine at all. The fact that, in the 21st century, in a major army, we are talking

about some mercenary organization fighting alongside a regular army and being the force that is making the gains seems pretty weird. But this is the Russian military and this is Russia. And this is the way things work.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, one could argue that Prigozhin, exposing the central lie of the war. Putin's rationale for the so-called special operation, that that is as dangerous to Putin as any military threat from Yevgeny Prigozhin.

So what effect do you think that will have on Putin's grip on power?

FISH: I think it will have an effect. This guy came out and really called it like it was. He told the truth about the whole basis of this war. Now if this were coming out of nowhere, just coming from someone who had no public authority, it wouldn't mean much.

But look, all these months Putin has been hunkered down in the Kremlin. Russians see him on TV occasionally, meeting with some other foreign dictator, at a table groaning with caviar. He is hunkered down, he is not on TV all the time organizing the troops and trying to buck up morale in society. He is just absent from this whole war effort.

While tens of thousands of Russian men go into the meat grinder about which he clearly does not care. And then you have this other guy on the ground, this Yevgeny Prigozhin, in army fatigues, on the ground, with his troops, fighting in the front lines and putting out videos every day talking about his war exploits.

I think that the danger here isn't that Yevgeny Prigozhin's army is going to somehow overwhelm the FSB troops waiting for him near Moscow and other troops in Russia. It's that a lot of troops in the FSB and other coercive agencies and the army who were in Russia, who are going to be expected to stand up to him, might actually regard Yevgeny Prigozhin favorably.

And it's not clear that they're going to fight back the way that Putin wants them to at this point because Yevgeny Prigozhin seems to be like the only guy who has really got the guts that it takes to prosecute this war right now. Putin certainly does not seem to be that type of guy.

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FISH: So remember in a dictatorship like this, especially a dictatorship like Russia, the main man stays in power by seeming impregnable, by seeming unassailable, really strong, like no one can possibly stand up like him.

Then you get one guy like Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has the temerity to stand up to Putin and Putin looks very weak. And everything changes very quickly under those circumstances.

BRUNHUBER: Massive implications for all of this. Really good to get your expertise on this developing story, M. Steven Fish, thank you so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, we will have much more on the tense situation with Russia.

Still ahead, who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the shadowy leader of the Wagner mercenary group?

A live report from London next, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all our viewers watching this, here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I am Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has condemned what he calls an armed rebellion by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In a speech to the nation, Putin promised to punish those who, quote, "deliberately went on the path of treason."

It comes hours after Yevgeny Prigozhin claims to have seized several military facilities in southern Russia. Prigozhin says he is retaliating against the Russian defense ministry for killing many of those mercenaries in a strike, a claim the military denies.

In an audio recording, Prigozhin criticized the military.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, FOUNDER, WAGNER GROUP (through translator): Ukrainian counter offensive is bringing us serious losses and problems, which are hushed up, which the Russian people do not know about.

When the trouble comes, I'll repeat: we may remain without an army and without Russia.

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BRUNHUBER: The former Kremlin insider now accused of treason has a sizable army at his command.

So who exactly is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

How did a former chief for Vladimir Putin -- or former chef, rather, for Vladimir Putin become the head of a large, ruthless and heavily armed mercenary group? Joining us for that, Salma Abdelaziz in London.

What is behind the dramatic fallout with Moscow?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To answer your first question, how did he become the man behind a ruthless mercenary army?

He became that because President Putin allowed it. It was during the annexation of Crimea in 2014, when President Putin turned to a close friend and inside ally. And that was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, who was able to provide him with the manpower that he needed.

He went on to be known or the Wagner mercenary group to be known as Putin's private army, carrying out his bidden from the Central African Republic, to military interventions in Syria and Libya, setting up troll factories to interfere with U.S. elections.

All of that was done with Yevgeny Prigozhin behind the curtain, never claiming credit. It is only since the invasion of Ukraine that he has stepped into the limelight.

And he has done it loudly and antagonistically, using this invasion in Ukraine to show up the Russian military time and time again, most recently in Bakhmut; to call them out publicly whenever they can with the most inflammatory language possible.

Saying the defense minister should be tried for failing the country, addressing the Russian people directly.

And the question this whole time has been, why has President Putin done nothing about it?

Why has he allowed this figure to rise to such a level of prominence and to air Russia's dirty laundry?

We may now, of course, have that response from President Putin, who spoke just a few minutes ago. Of course, accusing Prigozhin of treason, saying he will be held accountable.

But is it too late?

What really stuck out for me in those moments that President Putin addressed his country was that he never once uttered the name of Prigozhin. Perhaps a sign of just how irritated he has become with how public a figure Prigozhin has been.

But there is a big complex problem here. Throughout the conflict, President Putin has allowed Yevgeny Prigozhin to antagonize the Russian military. And it is those Russian military leaders now that President Putin has to turn to when it comes to Prigozhin, the problem no longer Prigozhin, the problem solver.

All this will play out in a very complicated way. And it will take time, weeks, days, more. What we need to keep our eye on right now is how does Russia, how does

the Russian military get its hands on Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has blockaded himself in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don?

As you mentioned, has very heavily armed guard, the Wagner mercenary group protecting him, what does that military operation look?

Like and could it turn bloody?

BRUNHUBER: That's the question. All eyes around the world will be watching. Salma Abdelaziz in London, thank you so much.

New investigations launched into the Titan submersible tragedy. How Canadian and U.S. authorities are spearheading the search for answers into why the craft imploded. That is coming up. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, let's get you up to speed with breaking news out of Russia. President Vladimir Putin is warning Wagner mercenaries that anyone involved in treason or armed rebellion will be punished.

He spoke a short time ago after Wagner's leader claimed his troops took control of military facilities in the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. Russia's defense ministry is urging Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries to return to their permanent deployment.

Russian media report the security forces have cordoned off Wagner's center in St. Petersburg.

New investigations are now underway into the Titan submersible tragedy. Canadian and U.S. authorities are trying to figure out what caused it to implode and kill all five people on board. Some search vessels returned to port Friday while others continue to map the debris and settle a timeline of what went wrong.

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BRUNHUBER: This has all brought renewed scrutiny to the safety practices of the company behind the submersible. CNN's Miguel Marquez takes us through what we are learning.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day of mourning, flag at half-staff, a rose for each victim of the Titan.

JOHN PASCHALL, PAUL-HENRI NARGEOLET'S STEPSON: He was this big, lovable guy. He was a prankster but he cared so much about his family. MARQUEZ: John Paschall speaking about Paul-Henri Nargeolet, his stepfather, experienced deepwater diver, known as Mr. Titanic for the number of dives he made to the ship.

PASCHALL: Honestly, when he told me he was going back out for this expedition, when I saw him in May, I really, honestly didn't think twice about it.

I said, "OK, great, have fun, be safe and I'll see you in July."

MARQUEZ: The implosion of the Titan underscoring the controversial design of the deepwater sub and the materials, carbon fiber and titanium. It had reached the Titanic several times before but the ocean at those depths, unforgiving.

TOM DETTWEILER, PRESIDENT, TKD ENTERPRISES; OCEAN OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING CONSULTANT: This device was built much different than most deep diving submersibles.

Instead of using a sphere, which is very strong under pressure, instead, it used two hemispheres on each end and then a cylinder in between made out of carbon fiber. And it looks like it was that portion made out of carbon fiber that failed.

MARQUEZ: The world of deepwater submersibles small, very close and highly specialized, making the rounds in that community a possible last transmission from PH Nargeolet to the mother ship, the Polar Prince.

DAVID GALLO, SENIOR ADVISER FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, RMS TITANIC INC.: The other thing that I heard was that PH had contacted the surfer ship and said there was a problem, we're dropping weights and surfacing immediately. Now I can't verify that but that, to me, meant something really happened very quickly.

MARQUEZ: Most of the ships participating in a massive search and rescue mission now returning to home port. Some still on the scene mapping the debris field, looking for clues in the shadow of the Titanic, trying to understand with certainty what caused this latest tragedy in this isolated corner of the Atlantic.

What they are doing now is mapping that debris field, trying to get a sense of the dynamic of that implosion and to drill down, basically into what exactly happened.

Was it the carbon fiber hull, was it the titanium, the window, a combination of some or all of those things?

They may also want to bring up pieces of the Titan. But that will be much more difficult. Back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead, hot and muggy. We will get the weather forecast for the first weekend of the summer when we come back. Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: A massive heat waves continues to bear down on Texas. There is a risk of severe storms in the Midwest and East and two named storms are lurking in the Atlantic.

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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber, I'll be back in just a moment with the latest on the breaking news out of Russia, including Vladimir Putin's speech at the top of the hour, in which he said, we will defend our country and our state against any threats, against all threats, including treason.

Our coverage continues in just a few moments. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.