Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Gripped by Uncertainty After Mutiny, Russians Note Absence of Kremlin Leaders; Ukraine Claims Gains Near Bakhmut As Battle Rages In East; Oppressive Heat And Severe Storm Threats Hammer Millions Across South And Central US; Future of Wagner Uncertain after Insurrection; U.S. Coast Guard to Investigate Titan Implosion; Key Rulings Expected as Court Enters Final Week; Whereabouts of Revolt Leader Prigozhin Unknown After Deal. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 26, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

[12:58:50]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, Monday in Moscow still new no Kremlin leaders including Vladimir Putin and the head of the visionless mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin also laying low, or Russia may have stepped back from the threat of civil war. The consequences of this rare and brief armed rebellion will likely play out for months or longer, raising questions about Putin's ironclad grip on power, and confusion and uncertainty to over the future obligation and many of his Wagner mercenaries. Will they regroup in exile in Belarus?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Thank you for joining us. We begin with the aftermath of Russia's short-lived armed rebellion and growing questions about Vladimir Putin's absolute grip on power.

(INAUDIBLE) appears to return to Moscow this Monday, after a weekend military rebellion by Wagner mercenaries marching on the Capitol.

The uprising though came to a sudden end Saturday with an 11th hour deal brokered by Belarus. And since then the head of the Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin has not been seen nor heard.

[01:00:00]

His new service tells CNN he will answer questions when he has what they say is proper communication. There is much which remains unknown about the insurrection. But one thing is clear. The open rebellion is the most profound crisis Vladimir Putin has faced during his 23-year long rule. And the U.S. Secretary of State says the turmoil may not be over yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's too soon to tell exactly where this is going to go. And I suspect that this is a moving picture and we haven't seen the last act yet. But we can say this. First of all, what we've seen is extraordinary. And I think you've seen cracks emerge that that weren't there before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Experts warning this rare uprising by Wagner group mercenaries could have consequences into the future with so much still uncertain. CNN's Matthew Chance reports are from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): To the Kremlin, these are some of the most disturbing scenes from a weekend of shocking images. On the streets of a major Russian city, Rostov-on-Don in the south, residents cheered Wagner fighters as they withdrew.

Many Russians see them as heroes. Not as the traitors the Kremlin paints. And Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin has become a celebrity to watch his supporters hailed down his car, just to shake hands. The Kremlin says he's now moving to Belarus next door, but it's unclear if this is the last we'll see again.

What is definite, though, is a sense of relief, at least here in the Russian capital.

CHANCE (on camera): It's calm now. But in the mayhem of the weekend, Moscow was on high alert military checkpoints on the outskirts of the city, residents bracing for Wagner fighters to enter and for the confrontation that never came.

CHANCE (voiceover): It was really uneasy yesterday, says Andre. But look now people are walking in the streets and it's all good. Let's hope it will stay peaceful, he adds.

But even here, this sympathy for Prigozhin's unprecedented challenge is to raids against the conduct of the war in Ukraine appears to have struck a popular chord. I think it was an expression of an opinion, says Oleg, another resident of Moscow, an opinion of a powerful person who wants some justice and clarity, the belief Prigozhin should be listened to. He's widely shared.

But that's not what the Kremlin wants to hear. Vladimir Putin hasn't appeared in public since making his angry pledge on Saturday film behind the scenes by state television to punish those responsible for what he called an armed mutiny, the biggest challenge to his authority in 23 years of power.

But now that challenge has been made. There are growing concerns about what a defensive President Putin stung by the events of this weekend will do next to stay in power. Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Live now to London, CNN's Clare Sebastian with the very latest. So Clare, during an event that was so tumultuous and with potentially serious and far reaching consequences, seems astounding how quickly calm has returned to Moscow. So the question is, is that just a facade? Do we know what lies beneath?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think an uneasy calm is probably the best way to describe it, John. This is now something that significantly ramps up the pressure, of course on President Putin, and perhaps most importantly, on the war in Ukraine, he now has to prove somehow the miscalculation that led to him not only having to fight this war for more than 16 months, but then having to defend his own country against an armed rebellion. That was somehow part of a larger purpose.

Also, the fact that the person who apparently spearheaded this armed rebellion Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have pretty much gotten away with it. And the messaging from the Kremlin tends to support this, the clip that Matthew Johnson his piece, so part of on Sunday included a clip of a pre insurrection interview with Putin saying that essentially his day starts and ends with the special military operation.

They are sort of reprioritizing this showing that they're getting out front and center and this and, you know, the scenes that are still emerging from the insurrection are increasingly humiliating for Russia, which apparently brokered this deal to avoid bloodshed, but didn't totally avoid this.

Take a look at these images that appeared on social media of the wreckage apparently of a Russian military helicopter Prigozhin claims that Wagner forces down to that military helicopter. We've had no comment on this from the Russian Ministry of Defense or the Kremlin, but this compounds the humiliation.

[01:05:02]

And meanwhile Of course, there's been no comment, as you say from Putin, no comment from Gerasemov of the head of the armed forces. We are seeing new images this morning emerging from state media showing the defense minister Shoigu apparently visiting the zone of the special military operation. They don't say exactly when that happened, but he has not made any public pronouncements either.

And I think for the Russian people, the focus really is on the next steps, what happens next. And I want to read you a clip from a -- an editorial in Moskovskij Komsomolets, which is a daily Moscow newspaper. And this really, I think, shows the mood they say, this is the conclusion they came to in Washington, Kyiv , Warsaw and other similar capitals, you need to put pressure on Russia, it works.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, this columnist says, will be sent to Belarus, but the problems created by him, let's be fair, not just him, will remain and will be oh so difficult to solve. So there's a sense in some way of embarrassment, the way the world is watching this, and a sense that the contracts that President Putin has had for the last 23 years with the Russian people, stability, a chance that prosperity, in exchange, perhaps for the ever increasing erosion of democratic freedoms has to some extent being broken that stability has been broken, John.

VAUSE: Clare, thank you. Clare Sebastian live for us there in London. If there is potentially a winner from the turmoil in Moscow, it's Ukraine and its counteroffensive. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with close allies, and he says the chaos has been created by Russia's own aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The longer (INAUDIBLE) less the more degradation it causes in Russia itself. One of the manifestations of this degradation is that Russian aggression is gradually returning to its home harbor and our conversations with the leaders we have exchanged or assessments of what is happening in Russia. We see the situation in the same way and know how to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meanwhile, on the front lines, Ukraine's military claims to have gained some ground around Bakhmut during heavy fighting over the weekend, and they say Russian efforts to retake territory have failed. CNN's Ben Wedeman has more now reporting in from the frontline battles in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After the brief but intense drama in Russia, it's back to the war in Ukraine, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the rampage against his foes in Moscow, officials in Kyiv for largely silent following Napoleon's advice never to interrupt your enemy while he's making a mistake.

Briefly, many Ukrainians entertained the hope that civil war or chaos in Russia would lead to an early end to the war, but Prigozhin sudden about face dash to those hopes. Sunday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview, he was hoping for something more concrete, perhaps a civil war in Russia. He said he was still confident that will eventually happen.

While attention was diverted away from the front. The fighting went on. Sunday, Ukrainian officials claimed their forces had seized a kilometer a kilometer stretch of trenches near Bakhmut. They said they killed wounded or captured an entire battalion. But they didn't give exact numbers. It was a limited tactical success. The much anticipated counter offensive has yet to hit its stride. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Zaporizhzhia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Live again to London Tymofiy Mylovanov joins us he's an adviser to the Ukrainian president. Tymofiy, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Thank you. VAUSE: So it's been what 499 days since Putin began his war of choice

in Ukraine. And most of those days have gone from bad to worse. And the Wagner mercenaries were the ones who gave Putin a rare military win in Bakhmut. So as you watch these events unfold over the weekend, just tell me what were your thoughts?

Yes, it is dramatic for Ukrainians to see that Russia has lost control over its own military forces. And it just underscores again, for us that, you know, the question why? Why did Russia in weight, you know, why did so many people have to die for Russia not being able to even, you know, create some kind of semblance of order in their own house.

But I think the situation creates opportunity for Ukrainian forces and also creates a win-win situation strategically. Either Putin continues to be challenged and looks weaker or Prigozhin dies.

[01:10:02]

If Prigozhin dies then there will be more infighting within the ranks of military which will weaken them further. So either way, strategically, it's a move forward, or it's a good opening for Ukraine.

VAUSE: I guess one thing here, though Putin did manage to keep control of his security services, he brought this mutiny to an end, it really was a deal brokered Belarus. But there are expectations now that he'll feel a need to reassert control to demonstrate he's still in charge. I do agree with that.

And will he be able to restore his reputation as the leader was an iron grip? And how could that impact Ukraine?

MYLOVANOV: Yes, absolutely. He will have to show to people in Russia and also to military specifically, and to Fazbear (ph), to law enforcement, to bureaucrats, to officials, political elites, that he is in charge, because if he's not in charge, and the signs are there, that he's not in charge, then the race for the new successor is open. And maybe that race is underway anyway.

So, he will have to either find a way to crack down in a very hard way on those who sided with Prigozhin, or who hesitated, or he will have to find a way to play it off as its were just Prigozhin, but the entire military was behind them.

But still, I think it would be very, very difficult to do. Either way, it is weakening the ability of Russia and Russian military to operate effectively because they will be distracted of this internal control and politics issues.

VAUSE: Do you think it's a matter of when not if Putin is out of office?

MYLOVANOV: Oh, absolutely. I mean, so he's getting also, he's going to, you know, go one way or another. By the end, you know, of his career, he's going to get weakened. And what we have seen by the Prigozhin tantrum or mutiny is that the transfer of power is not going to be democratic.

What's interesting is that we have seen that the people of Russia and the opposition Democratic Opposition of Russia had no say on the events over the last 48, 72 hours. So that suggests that the transfer of power from Putin to someone else will be violent, or it will be done by force.

VAUSE: And that then raises the question of what happens in Russia usually doesn't stay in Russia. If there is some kind of power struggle, you know, in a nuclear armed country. Again, how will that affect you, not just Ukraine, but the entire region?

MYLOVANOV: There are several serious very great concerns. First of all, there are nukes, and people usually talk about, you know, the threat of nuclear attack. But there are more mundane, but as important concern.

During a callus (ph), some of the nukes, some of the warheads might disappear, because some countries or some hostile actors would like to get their hands on. So the world has to prepare for that transition of power and monitor those nukes already in the way possible. I'm not an expert on this, but I think that is in some ways possible, and the West and the rest of the world have to be strategic about.

VAUSE: Part of the deal here that brought this uprising to a sudden end was that progression agreed to go live in Belarus in exile. So Belarus which struck this agreement now has Prigozhin, what's left of the Wagner fighters, the ones who were part of the uprising, if you like, and also the nuclear warheads?

Are you surprised at the role that Belarus is now playing despite what Lukashenko has been saying that -- he they don't want to be part of this?

MYLOVANOV: Yes, it's true that Lukashenko wants to survive and not to be involved too much into the Russian debacle. What it means it's hard to say at this moment, there are all kinds of theories. One is actually very unpleasant for Ukraine, that Wagner will gain power there and will be able, at least to threaten a second front from the North. The other one is that it's an exile and Prigozhin will simply die soon.

VAUSE: I guess we'll find out in the fullness of time. Tymofiy, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time.

Well, dangerous weather across the United States right now a deadly heatwave in Texas. Possible tornado in Indiana. We'll have the very latest on the extreme weather. Also ahead, the U.S. reaffirms unwavering support for Ukraine for the two countries leaders talked about over the weekend amid the Russian turmoil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:18:14]

VAUSE: Extreme weather was on full display Sunday just outside of Indianapolis. The National Weather Service says it's only certainly a tornado. They'll make it official after a survey team reports back Monday. Here is what it looked like for a fire company responding to reports of the collapse building.

Officials say at least 75 homes have been damaged and an apartment building under construction was destroyed. There are no reports of serious injuries.

Oppressive heat has turned deadly in Texas, a temperature of 119 degrees Fahrenheit or 48 degrees Celsius is being blamed for the death of a 31-year old man and his 14-year old stepson while hiking in Big Bend National Park.

The soaring temperatures are raising concerns about the stability of the power grid in Texas. There's no relief in the forecast this week. And cities have open cooling centers. San Antonio's mayor says cooling centers are open that help keep the vulnerable safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON NIREBERG, MAYOR OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: It's pretty brutal heatwave that we're going through and it's been -- it hasn't led up for the last couple of weeks. It's gone into dangerous territory. So we have launched our Beat the Heat campaign and making sure that people know the resources that are available if they need to get into a cool place, you know, libraries and community centers, senior centers are all open and encouraging folks, obviously to be advised about the signs of heat related illness.

But this is a very dangerous sort of heatwave. And with the humidity mixed in there's really not even any relief and then in the evening period as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: 50 million Americans across the south are dealing with oppressive heat, including major cities in Texas, where maximum temperatures will rotate feel like 125 degrees Fahrenheit, or 51 degrees Celsius. CNN's Allison Chinchar has details from the CNN Weather Center.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Roughly a dozen states are already under either heat advisories or excessive heat warnings and in some instances these are likely going to last for several days.

[01:20:08]

That's because for some of these areas, they don't even peak temperature rise until Tuesday or even Wednesday of the upcoming week. Take for example, Houston going from 101 for the high on Monday up to 103. By Wednesday, Dallas going from 102 on Monday to 107 by the time we get to the middle portion of the upcoming week. And for many of these areas, even though they peak, they really don't drop back down by the end of the week. Take Austin for example, the average high this time of year is 94. We are going to spend every single one of the next seven days with those high temperatures getting into the triple digits.

And we're looking at over 35 cities breaking record temperatures at some point this week between Monday and Friday, some of those communities possibly even having two or three days in a row of record breaking temperatures. It's also not just the temperature we're concerned about but also when you factor in that humidity you get what we call the feels like temperature.

And in some of these areas, you're talking extremely high numbers. Corpus Christi getting that feels like temperature all the way up to 110 on Tuesday, Dallas looking at a feels like temperature Tuesday of up to 114 degrees. Really the only areas that are likely not going to see much of this heat, especially in the eastern half of the country is when you places like the Midwest, the Northeast in the mid- Atlantic.

And the reason for that is you have a lot of the showers and thunderstorms that will be moving into the area because of it also the potential for some severe storms especially for cities like New York, Washington DC stretching down through Atlanta, the main threats there will be damaging winds and the potential for some large hail as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with close allies over the weekend about the turmoil in Russia. That includes U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish president Andrzej Duda. Mr. Zelenskyy says there was agreement on what was behind the armed rebellion and how to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): Now the Russian occupiers are suffering losses which we need. Each of their losses is a long term strengthening of freedom. We also discuss further strengthening of Ukrainian troops, and I thank our partners for understanding our needs long range needs. I am especially grateful to President Biden and the United States for the reliability of patriots. We discussed the strengthening of artillery, and Morris and other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has the view from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After spending the weekend talking to Western allies, President Biden returning to the White House on Sunday, not taking questions or commenting on the extraordinary turn of events in Russia over the weekend. He did speak with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that the U.S. has unwavering support towards Ukraine and its people.

The President also spending much of the time over the weekend at Camp David talking to Western allies from Canada, from the U.K., from France, from Germany, making the case here that all countries really are watching and waiting to see the situation unfold in Russia.

Now there is no doubt, Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a rain for 23 years through four American presidents. But the Biden administration this week, President Biden faces a new challenge for President Biden. They are not trying to be publicly seen being involved in this in any way at all, do not want to be blamed or accused of trying to tip the scales.

But there is no doubt a weaker Vladimir Putin raises concerns and worries here in the U.S. and indeed in other Western capitals about the potential danger for that. So President Biden not scheduled to speak about this as the week begins, but he will have an event on Monday morning here at the White House. This is certainly now a new foreign policy, a challenge and certainly a question here on the President's agenda as he begins a new week. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: After what seemed like a deafening silence, China gave public support to Russia's government late Sunday, and in particular President Vladimir Putin. Notably, Beijing waited a day after the armed insurrection was over. Here's part of a statement posted on China's Foreign Ministry website.

This is Russia's internal affair. As Russia's friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity.

Just ahead here on CNN, they were among Russia's best fighters in Ukraine, before dramatically turning against Moscow this weekend. What the future will hold for the Wagner private military company. That's next. Also, we'll talk about the impact of the armed uprising on Vladimir Putin's hold on power.

(COMMERCIAL RBEAK)

[01:28:35]

VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Back to our top story this hour, uncertainty and confusion across Russia after a weekend military armed rebellion. Mercenary fighters Wagner group reached 120 miles outside Moscow in less than 24 hours but then stood down.

The whereabouts of the Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin remains unknown, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was last seen on state TV Saturday, delivering an urgent address to the nation on the armed rebellion. He has also not commented publicly on a deal brokered by Belarus to end the uprising. But Russian state media posted a short behind the scenes clip of

Putin's address to the nation, as well as a four-day old interview in which he talks about his working day and how he's dealing with the war in Ukraine.

The Wagner Group uprising began in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and some residents they share their thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was unexpected and somehow incomprehensible, and stressful, of course, very stressful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They're very serious problems in the country and they need to be solved. People who can no longer tolerate it. They resort to such radical methods as Prigozhin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How can one in a situation where we are in a conflict and another country have an internal war as well?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:30:00]

VAUSE: Meanwhile there appears to be no clear winners in Russia from this rebellion. The head of the mutinous Wagner group has agreed to exile in Belarus to avoid prosecution, but for now no sign of where he might be adding to a long list of questions over his future. More now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So there's still a lot that is unclear about what is going to be in store in the future for the Wagner private military company. One of the things of course, that we have heard from the Kremlin is that they say that the fighters for Wagner, because of their military achievements on the battlefield, will be able to apply to join the Russian military.

That's something that's been in the cards for a while. It was a decree by the Russian defense minister a couple of weeks ago where he said that all of the private military companies needed to have contracts with the Russian army if they wanted to operate in the future.

Now, Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Wagner private military company had always said that they were not going to do that. That was of course, also one of the things that escalated the feud between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership.

But all this is about a lot more than that. The private military company, Wagner, is one thing. But Yevgeny Prigozhin owns a lot more than that. He has media holdings. Like for instance, the Internet research agency which the U.S. says meddled heavily in the 2016 presidential election. Prigozhin was indicted for that. What happens to his media empire? Then of course there's all his dealings in the Middle East -- oil

fields in Syria, in Africa exploiting things like gold and diamonds, also training local forces there.

So there are definitely still a lot of questions about whether or not Yevgeny Prigozhin when he goes to exile in Belarus will retain any sort of control over that or if other solutions will be found by the Russian leadership.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Professor Matthew Schmidt teaches national security at the University of New Haven. He joins me now from Connecticut. It's good to see you.

MATTHEW SCHMIDT, PROFESSOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Good to see you John.

VAUSE: Ok. So Prigozhin mercenary fighters came within what 200 miles from Moscow then suddenly retreated? Here's the former director of the CIA General David Petraeus on what he believes may have happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Clearly, Prigozhin lost his nerve. He was, as you noted earlier, within roughly two hours drive of the outskirts of Moscow where they were starting to prepare defensive positions.

This rebellion, although it had some applause along the way, didn't appear to be generating the kind of support that he had hoped it would.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So in other words, if you're going to take Vienna, take Vienna. But is that how you see it. Is that the most likely explanation here -- cold feet?

SCHMIDT: You know, I used to work for the general at Fort Leavenworth, and I respect him absolutely. but he may not be Right. He could be right, but there are other explanations as for why Prigozhin may have stopped. We don't exactly know what happened in this deal. We don't know when the phone calls were made. They may have made the phone call and that's why he stopped.

I just think, it's really early to draw conclusions on this yet and I would be wary of anyone who couches this as they know something, even General Petraeus.

VAUSE: Well, there is a perception out there, a common belief, if you like, in these early days that Vladimir Putin has been left, you know, seriously weakened by all of this. SCHMIDT: Again, I have to posit the opposite possibility, right? In

the end, what do we know happened here? He stopped it in 24 hours. Right? This guy, Prigozhin, his nominal enemy is now safely ensconced in a neighboring state in Belarus, under surveillance, right? Probably in fear for his life at any moment.

And the 25,000-plus mercenaries that were behind Prigozhin are now going to be folded into Putin's direct command, right? And some of these are the best fighters in Ukraine, which he now gets to direct.

The only thing we don't know is did Prigozhin get, you know, some sign off on getting rid of the defense minister and Gerasimov, General Gerasimov, right?

This looks very much to me like a Putin win. And the most important thing here is the elites, right, the oligarchs that everybody keeps waiting to turn on Putin? Well this was their shot, and they didn't take it, John.

So I think -- I think that hope that Putin's going to be ousted is really gone now, because there's no other insurrection coming anytime soon.

VAUSE: You're saying there's no other Prigozhin in the wings?

SCHMIDT: There is no other Prigozhin in the wings, right? And look, coup d'etats aren't military-only events. they are political events with the military components. And Prigozhin provided the military component of this, but he couldn't come through with the political side. He did not have political support.

And the fact that nobody gave him that support in Moscow is indicative that Putin still has control. Control of security services, and he has the control and loyalty of at least enough of the elites.

[01:35:02]

VAUSE: Ok. I want you to listen to the U.S. Secretary State Antony Blinken on how he sees the bigger picture here for Vladimir Putin's Russia. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: 16 months ago, Russian forces were on the doorstep of Kyiv, Ukraine thinking they were going to take the city in a matter of days, erase the country from the map. Now they have to be focused on defending Moscow, Russia's capital against mercenaries of Putin's own making. So this raises lots of profound questions that will be answered, I think, in the days and weeks ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So this, you know, coup d'etat may have been a win for Putin in some ways, but overall would you say, you know, this war of choice in Ukraine's has been, you know, the biggest disaster of his presidency and just keeps getting worse. And U.S. Intelligence believes this year Putin will have few, if any, military victories in Ukraine. So how does this now play into presidential elections, which are scheduled for next March?

SCHMIDT: You mean in Russia?

VAUSE: Yes.

SCHMIDT: Just to be clear.

VAUSE: In Russia.

SCHMIDT: Yes. So, I don't think it plays much at all. Putin has set up a system that leans heavily towards his advantage, and that system will stay in place.

And look, in the West when we talk about this, we are constantly talking about it as though it's the mirror image of our electorate, as though the Russian public and what they think matters in the election of their president the way what American public thinks matters in our elections. And it's simply not that way, right?

And second, again with this coup d'etat attempt, if that's what it was, right, there's no indication that the Russian population was cheering Prigozhin on, right?

So I think we need to step back and assess, you know, the facts on the ground that we can see here.

This war in Ukraine is the worst war that Russia has waged, you know, since 1917, right? It's been a disaster for them, and it will continue to be a disaster, I am sure of that, on the battlefield. But that does not mean Putin is weak.

VAUSE: Ukraine been able to take advantage of this, or will they be able to take advantage of this? How do you see it?

SCHMIDT: I'm going to have to go into an American football metaphor here, unfortunately. It's like if your enemy team fumbles the football. They could fumble it and recover it at the same spot they fumbled, meaning nothing really changes. They could fumble it, your team could recover it and fall in the same spot, meaning you're not really in that much of a different position, right?

You could recover it, run it back for a touchdown, or you could recover it and then fail to convert the points on a drive, right?

Ukraine has an opportunity here, but it was over very fast, right? And we have not seen that they've been able to convert on that opportunity. So --

VAUSE: Yes.

SCHMIDT: -- so I don't think and it actually changed the battlefield yet. It may, but at this point I don't see any change right now.

VAUSE: Ok. Matthew Schmidt, great to have you on. Good to hear a different point of view. As always, thanks for coming in.

SCHMIDT: My pleasure.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back we'll have details on a high-level investigation now underway by the U.S. Coast Guard at trying to determine what caused the implosion which destroyed the Titan submersible.

[01:38:14]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The Marine Board of Investigation has been convened by the U.S. Coast Guard to try to determine the cause of the implosion which destroyed the Titan submersible and killed all five people on board.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now the Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of investigation that U.S. Coast Guard can conduct regarding any kind of maritime incident. And what it will allow is for the Coast Guard to leverage all of its resources including working with International partners. Now this is a multi step process, and right now they're in the first phase which is to gather evidence.

They have had the Odysseus 6000 out at the bottom of the ocean looking for pieces of the vessel, looking to recover more pieces of evidence.

Once that's completed they will hold a public hearing, collect more testimony and more evidence and then they will continue this investigation.

I want you to listen from public officials talking about what's next in the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JASON NEUBAUER, U.S. COAST GUARD: During the course of the MBI, the board will first and primarily work to determine the cause of this marine casualty and the five associated deaths.

The MBI however is also responsible for accountability aspects of the incident and it can make recommendations to the proper authorities to pursue civil or criminal sanctions as necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now any kind of subsequent enforcement will have to be done after a separate investigation. And just another important note here is that the Marine Board of Investigation is working with the U.S., the U.K. and France, and that of course reflects the nationalities of the five people who were on board of the vessel. So you can see this sort of multinational effort to try and bring some closure to these families.

In fact, the rear admiral of the Coast Guard mentioned he had visited St. John's, where we are right now, to meet with some of the family members that arrived back to port yesterday.

Now after this investigation is concluded, they will submit a report. And the idea here is to understand what happened, but also to make sure that safety protocols for deep sea submersible expeditions are improved so that nothing like this happens again.

Reporting in Newfoundland -- Gloria Pazmino, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hand down several key decisions this week as it enters the final stretch to its term. Some of the big cases include student debt relief, affirmative action and LGBTQ+ rights.

Their verdicts are expected to reveal just how far to the right the conservative majority now leans. Here's what some analysts believe.

[01:44:48]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I do think you're going to see the Biden -- the six Republican-appointed justices likely ruling in a way that the Biden administration and other Democrats are going to criticize on largely or completely ending the use of affirmative action in higher education, on privileging claims of religious freedom to gain exemption from equal treatment laws for LGBTQ individuals, and potentially also ending Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Program.

You know, what these rulings, I think, above all are going to demonstrate is that if we think in the broadest sense of the competition between the Republican and Democratic coalitions to really decide the direction of the country, these very antithetical coalitions at this point, the Supreme Court majority is now, I believe, the biggest asset, the most powerful weapon on the board for the Republican coalition, and we're going to see that again in all likelihood this week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: That was one political analyst, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. If you can have one, he's the one.

Well, the ruling Conservative Party in Greece is celebrating victory in Sunday's election, and a second four-year term.

With almost all the votes counted, the New Democracy Party fell short of an outright majority, with more than 40 percent. Leftist (INAUDIBLE) hold about 17 percent. The prime minister, who's guided Greece out of a severe debt crisis, vowed more of the same.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS, NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADER (through translator): I now feel I have your duty to serve the country with all of my strength. I never promised miracles, but I assure you that I will remain faithful to my national duties with a plan, with dedication, and above all with hard work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Notably Syriza polled worse Sunday than the first round last month.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York has undergone surgery for breast cancer. The U.K. Press Association reports her operation was successful. She's now recovering with family in Windsor.

A spokesman for the duchess told the PA she is receiving the best medical care. Her prognosis is good.

Security forces are gearing up as the Hajj gets underway in Saudi Arabia. And it could be one for the record books. More than two million Muslims from around the world are expected to take part this year.

And the heat will also be a factor here, with temperatures nearing 45 degrees Celsius, that's around 110 Fahrenheit. Saudi authorities have placed thousands of paramedics on standby. Health workers will be around to treat cases of heatstroke, dehydration, exhaustion -- all the stuff you get with hot weather.

The Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Muslims undertake it at least once in their lives if they have the means.

Just ahead, we'll take an in-depth look at the life and career of Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary fighters who stunned Moscow with their armed insurrection.

[01:47:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin seemed to be everywhere on social media for a time, and in recent months had plenty to say about Russian military leaders. But now he is oddly silent more than 24 hours after the Kremlin says he accepted a deal to leave Russia for exile in Belarus to avoid prosecution for his armed military rebellion which saw his mercenary fighters marching on Moscow.

The uprising seemed to end as quickly as it began with an 11th hour deal brokered by Belarus. Meantime, Russia's defense ministry now says the defense minister Sergei Shoigu has visited Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

Neither the ministry nor state media said when the visit took place. A former top U.S. Intelligence official says Vladimir Putin's

reputation and his authority has been tarnished after the Wagner groups armed insurrection. Here's James Clapper speaking with CNN's Jim Sciutto.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's clearly damaged, I think -- irreparably it remains to be seen. I think we're perhaps rushing to judgment here about the end of Vladimir Putin. And I don't -- I think it's a little early to do that.

But clearly his stature, his prestige, his image has diminished both internationally and domestically which is one of the reasons why I don't think he's going to let Prigozhin run around free and easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Clapper says President Putin may choose to exert more control over the Wagner group and its activities after this armed insurrection. Yevgeny Prigozhin's current whereabouts unknown.

CNN's Brian Todd has more on the man who was once known as Putin's chef.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The man recently videotaped screaming at Vladimir Putin's top military officials for betraying his mercenaries on the battlefield is someone used to the tactic of strong arming, threatening, ruthlessly, taking what he wants.

Wagner Group Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may have won over Vladimir Putin for displaying those traits, rather than the fact that they both hail from the same hometown, St. Petersburg.

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think that Prigozhin does have some personality traits that Putin not only likes, but also, I think, sees in himself.

TODD: Prigozhin's rise is a classic Russian tale of brute force ambition. He served time in prison in the final stages of the Soviet Union for petty crimes.

When he got out, he started a hot dog stand, parlayed that into a series of successful restaurants that Putin sometimes brought other world leaders to.

Prigozhin scored lucrative government catering contracts, earning him the nickname Putin's Chef.

HALL: Being the guy who runs, you know, the Kremlin food service might to you and me sound like not a particularly important thing. But to people who are afraid of, you know, being poisoned, that's a, you know, position of trust for Prigozhin. TODD: Prigozhin used Putin's trust and resources to make another bold and extraordinary move around 2014, founding Wagner as a paramilitary group, then operating mostly in the shadows.

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN, (RET.) FORMER EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: He was funding it to run coups and mercenary activities out of the Central African Republic. He was involved in Syria when Russia doesn't want to use its own troops, when Russia wants to outsource their contractors, it relies on Wagner, the most prominent of these kind of institutions.

[01:54:57]

TODD: CNN has tracked Wagner mercenaries operating in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Mali and Syria, as well as Ukraine.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Prigozhin has, by some accounts, 25,000 armed men, many of whom are very battle-hardened.

TODD: Battle-hardened and brutal. Human rights groups say Wagner, which has recruited murderers and drug dealers from Russian prisons to fight, has committed a series of human rights abuses, including allegedly torturing and murdering a Syrian prisoner with a sledgehammer and executing a Wagner fighter who had defected the same way.

HALL: You know, the videos of Prigozhin and his people using sledgehammers, you know, to maim and kill people. So he understands the value, the propaganda value of coming across as a brutal, almost uncivilized kind of person, because that's another kind of power that I think the Russian population certainly at least fears and in some cases respects.

TODD: One analyst says that no matter how this high stakes drama turns out in the end, that at the very least, Yevgeny Prigozhin has damaged Vladimir Putin by openly telling the Russian people that the Ukraine war was started under fraudulent circumstances.

Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And finally from the WNBA, Phoenix Mercury as announced that Brittney Griner will be a starter at next month's all-star game in Vegas -- her now nine-career All-Star Games selections of more than any other starting All-Star. This comes just six months after Griner was released from Russia as part of a prisoner swap. Griner spent nearly 300 days in a jail on what the U.S. called bogus drug charges. The All-Star Game will be played in Las Vegas July 15th.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

Please stay with us. My friend and colleague Rosemary Church is up next after a short break.

Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.

Thank you. No --

[01:56:52]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)