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Russia Pulls Back from Crisis After Insurrection; Possible Tornado Wreaks Havoc in Indiana; Ukraine Says Wagner Uprising in Russia is "First Stage of Dismantling" Putin's Regime. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 26, 2023 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world, I'm Max Foster in London. We begin this morning with the weekend rebellion inside Russia led by the Wagner Group of mercenary fighters. Its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his troops to march towards Moscow to seek revenge after accusing the Kremlin's military leadership of killing his forces.

Wagner claimed to have seized key military sites in two Russian cities, and then came within 125 miles of the capital. But the insurrection came to an abrupt end when Prigozhin said a deal was struck to avoid bloodshed. The Kremlin said criminal charges against Prigozhin will be dropped, and he'll go into exile in Belarus.

But Prigozhin himself hasn't confirmed any of that detail, and Russian state media report this morning that Prigozhin remains under investigation for inciting the armed rebellion. This entire episode raising questions about whether Vladimir Putin is losing his decades- long grip on power. CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now. And this is because for the first time in his long reign, he actually looked vulnerable, didn't he, on Saturday?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, he did. And I think there were a number of reasons for this. Look, Shoigu -- Prigozhin, rather, was able to draw attention to a narrative that actually has some traction and popularity with the people. And that was witnessed over the weekend. There are people coming out to applaud Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don and applaud his troops when they pulled out of town.

He has been saying that the war is being badly fought, the war in Ukraine is being badly fought, and a lot of people clearly feel that way. And I think that is something obviously that is -- that touches a nerve inside the Kremlin. But the reason this came out, and that this narrative went on for so long, is partly Putin's fault for not dealing with the spat in his inner circle, between Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Prigozhin, which ultimately has come down to control of Prigozhin's troops, which between Shoigu and Prigozhin also means a battle over the money, if you will. That those forces, the Wagner forces bring in for -- you know,

principally for Putin and for Prigozhin. This is -- so, it's an inner sanctioned fight for Putin that he hasn't handled well on a narrative that touches a nerve with the population. So it's in -- so it weakens, if you will, the inner circle, gives the belief to others outside that, perhaps that inner circle is weak and Putin's control over the inner circle isn't as strong, and has allowed the narrative that the war is not so popular as Putin maintains, is not going as well as Putin maintains. It's allowed that to get a public hearing and traction, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Nic Robertson, thank you for bringing us an update and what's going on with Russia. In Moscow, the mayor says all security restrictions are being lifted now, and he thanked his citizens for their calm and understanding after the weekend. But experts say the rare uprising could have consequences down the line with so much still uncertain.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports now from the Russian capital.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the Kremlin, these are some of the most disturbing scenes from a weekend of shocking images --

(GUNFIRE)

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 them. And Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin has become a celebrity too, watch his supporters hail 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 of him. What is definite though is a sense of relief, at least here in the Russian capital.

(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 racing for Wagner fighters to enter and for a confrontation that never came.

[05:05:00]

(voice-over): "It was really uneasy yesterday", says Andrei(ph). "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, his tirades 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(ph), another resident of Moscow. "An opinion of a powerful person who wants some justice and clarity. The belief Prigozhin should be listened to is widely shared here." But that's not what the Kremlin wants to hear. Vladimir Putin hasn't appeared in public since making his angry pledge on Saturday.

Filmed 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 stunned by the events of this weekend will do next to stay in power.

(on camera): Well, another question tonight is where is mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin? As we know, the Kremlin says he's agreed to move to Belarus. But officials there tell me, they have no details on when he will arrive or what his status will eventually be. Prigozhin's office is inside Makjid(ph), they're telling CNN that he's currently out of contact and will respond to any questions only later.

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FOSTER: Matthew Chance in Moscow. Now to D.C. in reaction from President Biden. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is at the White House.

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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 that 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 reign 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 challenge, and certainly a question here on the president's agenda as he begins a new week. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

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FOSTER: There are both political and military implications of course, from the short-lived insurrection in Russia. Let's talk through them with CNN military analyst and former member of the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much for joining us. I just want to ask you, first of all, Cedric, about a line that we're going through, that as part of this deal over the weekend, we were told that any charges laid against Prigozhin as a result of this insurrection would be lifted if he went into exile in Belarus.

We're now hearing that Prigozhin remains under investigation for inciting armed rebellion according to the state media there. What's going on here in terms of messaging?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I think the message is a bit scrambled, Max. And you know, quite frankly, the things that Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman has said, sometimes don't bear out in reality. And it looks as if Prigozhin is probably still going under investigation, but under threat of his life. So, as he is making his way perhaps to Belarus, perhaps somewhere else, it -- I think it remains very clear that he's going to have to be very cautious.

And I think the FSV, the Russian security service is very much going to look for him, and perhaps detain him.

FOSTER: None of it makes sense though, does it? Why would Prigozhin agree to go into exile, leave all of his fighters in Russia to continue fighting with the Russian military. And why would they sign up with the Russian military?

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LEIGHTON: And they probably won't, Max, you're right, it doesn't make any sense at all because there's a lot that we don't know at this point in time. And we have to also remember that we're dealing with two very erratic personalities. On the one hand, you have Putin, on the other hand, you have Prigozhin. And Prigozhin is far more erratic than Putin.

But in this situation, I think Putin is not only angered, but he's also scared for the rest of his ability to remain in power, and may remain in power. And that is going to create, I think, a serious problem going forward for both men. And it's really in essence a cage match between the two of them.

FOSTER: So what does this mean militarily in terms of the Ukrainian war? Are they able to take advantage? Presumably, they can, particularly, if they don't have the Wagner fighters on the frontlines or they don't agree to go.

LEIGHTON: Yes, if the Wagner fighters truly withdraw, then there's certainly a chance that the Ukrainians will be able to move into the gaps that absence of forces creates. You know, we have to remember, though, that the Wagner group was meaningless was mainly used as an assault force, and then they were backfilled by regular Russian army units such as we saw on Bakhmut.

Speaking of Bakhmut, what we're seeing is some Ukrainian advances on the outskirts of that much contested city. And so, you're looking at, I think, a moment in time in which there are some things that the Ukrainians can take advantage of, but it's going to be at the moment a tactical move forward on a strategic level.

It might be a little bit different where eventually, you'll get to a point where if the Wagner troops aren't backfilled or they don't go back into Ukraine, we may very well see some gains by the Ukrainian forces.

FOSTER: The other advantage for them might also be morale within the Russian military which was already low. And presumably, it will be hit even harder by this insurrection.

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's right, Max. The real issue here, of course, you know, you can look at the numbers of tanks, the numbers of personnel on paper. But the real issue is the morale of most of these fighting forces. And the very fact that the Ukrainians have in relative terms much higher morale than the Russians, it speaks volumes and will give the advantage to the Ukrainians, no doubt. The Russians are clearly at a disadvantage in this particular area.

FOSTER: Cedric Leighton, really appreciate your analysis, thank you for joining us.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Max.

FOSTER: Now, to the outbreak of severe storms in the U.S., a possible tornado ripped through neighborhoods and damaged at least 75 homes in southern Indiana. Look at these images. the "New York Times" reporting that at least one person in the state was killed. Now, the storms have left hundreds of thousands of homes without power in the Midwest and south.

CNN's Jennifer Gray is live in the weather center for us. Extraordinary images. How would you describe what's happening here, Jennifer?

JENNIFER GRAY, METEOROLOGIST: Max, we have had a long string of severe weather over the last week or more with four tornado reports overnight and yesterday included 284 wind reports, 107 hail reports. We've had very large reports of hail as well, a hail large in diameter. We have a -- we have a thunderstorm watch in effect for portions of the Ark-La-Tex, and stretches all the way down to Mississippi, some strong storms pushing through portions of the mid- south.

You can see some storms will fire up later today across the Mid- Atlantic even into the northeast. And then late tonight, we're also going to see some storms start to fire up across the south, another round of storms overnight for some of the same areas that were hit very hard last night. So we're going to talk about main threats being the damaging wind and the very large hail once again.

However, you can't rule out the possibility of an isolated tornado across portions of North Carolina on into the Mid-Atlantic. This does include D.C., Philadelphia, even New York City could see some strong storms later today. There's also a flash flood threat, because with these storms comes some very heavy rainfall. So we're going to see the potential for flash flooding as well. Could

also result in some airport delays later this afternoon. Folks that would love some rain to cool off a little bit, Texas, we have seen extreme heat across Texas, and that's going to continue. This is a current heat index this morning, already feeling like 92, in Dallas and Shreveport, areas that have been hit very hard.

They've been areas around Rio Grande --

FOSTER: So much is the map --

GRAY: Excessive heat warnings and advisories in effect. This does include Houston, Dallas, and it feels like temperatures today definitely topping 100 degrees, feeling like 115 in Dallas, Shreveport, Corpus Christi feeling like 117, we could break records across the board. We're looking at temperature trend over the next couple of days to not get any better.

In fact, temperatures are going to be warming over the next couple of days. Dallas could hit 106 by Wednesday. We try to cool off, but temperatures are still going to be in the 90s. We could potential break 35 or more records this week for the heat and the overnight temperatures are also staying very warm, not cooling off much at all.

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So, it's a dangerous heat, Max, and so we'll be watching this throughout the week.

FOSTER: OK, great stuff, thank you, Jennifer. Still ahead, more coverage of the insurrection in Russia. Why one Ukrainian official is calling it, quote, "the first stage of Putin's end." And how China is reaffirming support for its strategic partner.

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FOSTER: This morning, the Ukrainian Air Force says it destroyed more than a dozen targets overnight, including cruise missiles and attack drones launched by Russia. This weekend's insurrection by the Wagner Group has given Ukrainians a push to fight back even harder against their invaders. On Sunday, officials declared it was the first stage in dismantling Vladimir Putin's regime, and that quote, the countdown has begun.

[05:20:00]

Meanwhile, Ukraine's military says it is making critical gains around the city of Bakhmut. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports now from Zaporizhzhia.

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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 were 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's sudden about-face dashed 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'd killed, wounded or captured an entire battalion, but they didn't give exact numbers.

It was a limited tactical success. The much-anticipated counteroffensive has yet to hit its stride. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Zaporizhzhia.

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FOSTER: Beijing reaffirming its ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin after the armed rebellion. Russia's deputy foreign minister visited Beijing on Sunday where he met with the Chinese foreign minister. CNN's Anna Coren joins us from Hong Kong. And this is important because Russia needs China's support.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Max, and a day after the abrupt end to the insurrection threatening Vladimir Putin's grip on power, Russia's greatest ally, China, broke its silence issuing support for the Kremlin after closely watching the greatest challenge to Putin's 23-year rule unfold over the weekend.

The Chinese foreign ministry issued a strong statement online late Sunday evening which read, "this is Russia's internal affair. As Russia's friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity."

Oh, it followed a visit to Beijing by Russia's deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko who met with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang, among other Chinese officials yesterday where the two exchanged views on Sino-Russian relations. International regional issues of common concern, then, of course, there was that photo of the pair smiling, walking side-by-side.

Russia claims this was part of scheduled consultations, the Chinese, however, did not announce the meeting beforehand. Now, as we know, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had developed a close personal rapport in recent years over their shared ambition to challenge the U.S.-led global order. And in February of last year, the two leaders declared a friendship with no limits shortly before Putin launched his war on Ukraine.

Now, China has refused to condemn the invasion and has provided much needed diplomatic and economic support for Russia. It's also portrayed itself as a peace broker. But some analysts, Max, believe China will be closely monitoring the fallout of this aborted mutiny. Wenti Sona(ph), a political scientist with the Australian National University says, "the Wagner insurrection contradicts the narrative of Putin as a strong leader who enjoys full support of his people and is here for the long haul as China's global partner of choice.

If Putin's rule is unstable, supporting him is bad business." Now, on China's Twitter-like platform, Weibo, the Wagner insurrection, Max, was a top trending topic over the weekend.

FOSTER: OK, Anna, thank you so much for bringing us that Chinese perspective. The world now waiting for the Kremlin's next move and its geopolitical implications. The Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the Wagner Group's insurrection. Here's what or part of what he had to say on Sunday.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: 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 weren't there before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It's got a lot of pickup in that comment. Let's bring in Shawn Turner; former Director of Communications for U.S. National Intelligence.

[05:25:00]

Thank you so much for joining us. Do you agree that cracks are starting to emerge or could you argue that the people around Putin will now solidify against this threat that appeared on Saturday?

SHAWN TURNER, PROFESSOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes, good morning, thanks for having me. You know, I don't think those two possibilities are mutually exclusive. There's no doubt that cracks are beginning to emerge. I mean, look, we've never seen Vladimir Putin so publicly vulnerable.

When we look at what happened in this insurrection, we saw this situation change on the ground. We saw Russians were emboldened to stand up and to speak out about the war. So there's no doubt that his grip on power is certainly -- there's certainly cracks there. But I also think it's the case that we've got to look very closely at what Vladimir Putin does next.

There's this idea, this notion, that as a strongman, he's got to do something to send a very strong message here. So certainly, to -- the situation is unstable. But the idea that cracks have emerged is something that goes without saying. It's absolutely the case.

FOSTER: OK, take a listen to what former director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Jim Sciutto when asked about the Prigozhin deal. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Maybe I spent too much time in intelligence, but this whole thing, this deal to me is kind of fishy, that all of a sudden, Prigozhin stopped, turned left or turned back. And then he's going to go agree to go of all places, Belarus, which is essentially from a security standpoint, an extension of Russia.

I just -- I just wonder whether it was a deal or somehow behind the scenes, Putin exerted some form of leverage over Prigozhin that caused him to fold. This is an unanswered question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So much in this deal, we don't understand, isn't there? And crucially, we've only been hearing about it from the Belarusian and Russian sides. Prigozhin hasn't actually told us what the terms of the deal are that he signed up to.

TURNER: Yes, and you know, look, I think that the former director of National Intelligence is spot-on. Everyone understands that the United States has said there were some awareness that this may have been coming. But it's important to understand that the intelligence inquiry would not have stopped there.

Intelligence officials from the White House to the Department of Defense to the State Department, all would have asked, what does it mean if there's an insurrection in Russia? What would Vladimir Putin, who we know is -- you know, has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. What's he likely to do? And if the answer to that question was one of uncertainty.

If there was an analysis that he may have behaved erratically, then there could have been some very quiet intervention here that may have had -- that they may have helped this deal come to fruition. It's also the case that we just got to remember that Vladimir Putin, he's been in this game for a long time. And as close as he may have appeared to be to Prigozhin, it still is unlikely the case -- it's likely the case that he would have had what we call compromise.

He would have had some information on Prigozhin that would have helped him maintain some leverage over him. So I agree, this deal looks fishy on the surface. I think that we're going to find out that there's more to this than meets the eye.

FOSTER: How -- you know, based on what we do know, and supposing that Prigozhin does head off into exile, and the Wagner troops stay in Russia, what do you think Putin's next move might be?

TURNER: Yes, that's the million-dollar question. Look, it's certainly is the case that Putin has to make a move to reassert at least the perception that he has strength and control in Russia. So, I'm looking for a couple of things. One, I'm looking for a crackdown in Russia. I expect that those who were emboldened to speak up, those who were applauding the Wagner Group as they were moving through the town there, I expect that Putin will try to cull that.

I also expect that Putin is going to make more aggressive moves in Ukraine. And I think we're already seeing some signs of that, he has to demonstrate that he is still in control. And then the last thing I'll be looking at is, his public rhetoric, what is he saying on the international stage vis-a-vis his adversaries and competitors. I expect that we will hear some more aggressive language on the part of Putin over the next coming -- over the coming weeks and months.

FOSTER: And we'll be looking out for it, Shawn Turner, really appreciate your analysis today. Thanks for joining us.

TURNER: Thank you.

FOSTER: Coming up, the Coast Guard ramps up its probe of the deadly submersible disaster. And three police officers in San Antonio now facing murder charges after shooting a woman in her apartment. Details just ahead.

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