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Prigozhin Said To Be Dead After Plane Crash In Russia; Fukushima Wastewater Released Into The Pacific Ocean; Giuliani, Powell, Ellis Surrender To Fulton County. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 24, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:33]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kimberly Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Ruthless leader of Russia's Wagner militia and the man who led the armed uprising on Moscow appears to have been killed. Russia says his plane crashed outside Moscow was President Putin behind it.

Plus, the imminent arrest of Donald Trump. The former U.S. president expected to turn himself into authorities here in Georgia in the coming hours and break down what to expect.

And treated radioactive wastewater from Japan's Fukushima plant now being dumped into the Pacific Ocean. The very latest on this controversial move in a live report.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin with a developing story out of Russia. And the questions swirling around the apparent death of Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russian aviation officials say the leader of the Wagner Mercenary Group was killed in a plane crash northwest of Moscow on Wednesday. Saint media report all seven passengers and three crew members on board the private jet were killed. Although only eight of the bodies have been found so far.

Russian investigators say they've opened a criminal case to establish what caused the crash. Video on the social media site telegram shows what appears to be the plane falling from the sky with one wing missing. The plane was about halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg when it went down. Flight data shows it suddenly stopped transmitting data just after 6:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Prigozhin was a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he led a brief rebellion against Russian military leaders in June over their handling of the war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden suggested his death may not have been an accident. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know for a fact what happened, but I am not surprised. There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind, but I don't know enough to know the answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's go live now to London. And CNN is Clare Sebastian. Clare, still a lot we don't know. But what more can you tell us at this hour?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Kim. We're getting some new images in of the crash site now in daylight. You can see it's a -- it's a little bit in the distance because there's been cordoned off by authorities there. But you can see obviously bits of wreckage of this plane. There are shots of -- you see it there people being -- body bags being carried away on stretchers.

So, perhaps a little more detail from that. But what we know officially is from the Russian aviation authorities who have put out a list of people on board and said that everyone died. Also, several Wagner-linked telegram channels saying that Dmitry Prigozhin died, although another one saying be careful about spreading unverified information. So, there are still questions around this.

I think the reason why this matters in Russia and beyond is because of what this says and the entire episode around that aborted Wagner mutiny. What it says about Putin's grip on power and how it could reflect on the war in Ukraine. And that's why it's crucial to watch what we may get from the Kremlin about this today. And what we saw, frankly, from Putin on Wednesday, because while all of this was unfolding, he was at a World War II Memorial Ceremony in the town of Kursk in Russia commemorating a World War II battle.

He was then later see if you can see the video here, out shaking hands with people. A rapturous reception from the crowds there. He even at one point hug someone. Very unusual for Putin. He's usually at the end of a -- of an extra-long table or making a virtual address, but very reminiscent of scenes that we saw in the immediate wake of the Wagner mutiny, where he went to Dagestan and did something very similar.

Came out and greeted people. And that at the time was seen, in part as a response to the rapturous reception that the Wagner troops got when they entered Rostov at the beginning of that aborted march on Moscow. So, it looks like an effort to reassert control to sort of promote his popularity in opposition to Wagner and Prigozhin. And we have, by the way, seen tributes being left in St. Petersburg at the Wagner headquarters. Flowers being laid and all of that.

So, I think it'll be critical to watch what more we get from the Kremlin today. It certainly seems like state media is waiting for a steer from them on how to handle this. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So many more questions on this story. Clare Sebastian in London. Thank you so much. So, Prigozhin's apparent death may be shot arcing but it's not exactly surprising to Putin observers coming just two months after Wagner's failed rebellion.

[02:05:06]

So, the circumstances around the crash are raising many questions and without transparency from the Russian government, it's going to be near impossible to get all the answers. CNN's Pete Muntean tells us what we know and don't know about what happened.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board says planes like this do not come down without some sort of help. Especially after seeing this video of this private jet tumbling through the air like a lawn dart. But it gets really interesting when you still that scene and zoom in. And it can apparently be seen that one of the plane's wings is not visible.

Investigations of an incident like this in the United States typically go through ruling out possibilities like whether or not this was a mid-air collision, or if there was a structural failure, if the plane catastrophically broke apart in flight. Some sort of other emergency or was this airplane shut down? That is the big question right now. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the flight level at 28,000 feet going about 500 miles an hour on a northwesterly heading out of Moscow when the data suddenly stopped but this is where it gets really interesting.

The plane continued to broadcast its altitude data just not its position for another nine minutes. Flightradar24 says that the plane then shows a dramatic descent after some erratic climbs into sense with its descent rate at a blistering 8000 feet per minute. Now the question is whether or not Russia will shut out international help. This plane, an Embraer Legacy 600 is made by Brazil. The avionics onboard likely come from the United States.

Will Russia add in some other help or will it shut all that help out? Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, I'm joined by Michael Moran who is a lecturer in political risk at the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Affairs. Thank you so much for being here with us. So just to start, were you surprised by the news? I mean, it always seemed from the minute Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny failed as though there was a clock counting down here.

MICHAEL MORAN, LECTURER IN POLITICAL RISK, UNIVERSITY OF DENVER: Yes. I mean, there was a -- there was clearly a need for Putin to correct the impression that he was not in control. The, you know, the record shows that those who cross Vladimir Putin often end up dead, if not poisoned and barely surviving. Like Alexei Navalny, for instance, his main political opponent from the Democratic, you know, camp in Russia.

So, it's not unusual to see murder being applied as a tool of state and Russia. The facts right here are not all clear. They're not in yet, there will inevitably be conspiracy theories, some of them may be launched by the Russians themselves. But Russia being so opaque, it just invites this kind of thing. The Russian military has every reason to have done this without Putin's permission for instance. That would be a blow to Putin once again. And Prigozhin himself could be on the other plane. There were two planes here. He could have put his name on, the one he knew was going to get shut down and now he disappears to Africa. There's all sorts of things that could happen. But my guess is, as I said earlier today, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. I think Vladimir Putin is very likely involved in the -- in the downing of this aircraft.

BRUNHUBER: So, if he were involved in the downing, I presume it would reinforce the President's image as a -- as a vengeful strong man. What message do you think the sends to his rivals and does this hint at a wider purge do you think?

MORAN: Well, I think what you have going on in Russia right now is significant unhappiness, not just among the populace which has very little ability to affect what happens in the -- in the Kremlin. But among his close associates, the oligarchs as we have always described them. Men like Igor Sechin who runs one of the world's largest, you know, energy firms, Rosneft. Oleg Deripaska, another oligarch who is close to Putin.

These are people who have, you know, probably, you know, real doubts about what's going on in Ukraine. It has impacted them from the standpoint of their personal fortunes enormously. It has impacted their companies and the state firms that they run because of the sanctions that have come to hit them. So -- I mean, they're not happy but this is a pretty interesting message that Putin is sending.

[02:10:05]

It doesn't matter how long you've known him, how many times you've smiled next to him for the cameras or even if you've done him great service in Ukraine as you know, certainly Prigozhin no military genius. He threw many, many, many young people to their deaths in Ukraine for Vladimir Putin. That made no difference in the end. Disloyalty is repaid with brutality.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Speaking of people being unhappy and Wagner, you mentioned them gray zone, the Wagner-affiliated group wrote this on Telegram. The assassination will have catastrophic consequences. The people who gave the orders do not understand the mood in the army and morale at all. I mean, will there be catastrophic consequences here do you think or any?

MORAN: Well, you know, if you look at the Ukraine war, it can't be a good thing for the Russians that, you know, they've held their own in the -- in the minefields and defensive positions in the south -- in the -- in the southeast. But I think what you see here is the subtraction of Wagner from the scenario. There was a possibility that Wagner could play a role in drawing troops away from the main frontline because they had deployed to Belarus after this attempted coup.

Now, that group is probably going to be disbanded altogether. They're going to be given the choice of going back to Russian Gulags or joining the Russian military. Russian military officials have already started to take over the operations that Wagner has in Africa and in North Africa. So, I think this is a setback in any way you look at it for the military efforts of the Russia -- of Russia. For Putin himself, it's a different story.

He is all about his own survival. He's put a shot across the bow of anybody who would dare to challenge him. And he probably is feeling as though this is precisely the kind of message he wants to send. Be a little bit cagey about it. He's not going to claim responsibility, certainly. But you know, he'll just write it off as a plane crash and it serves his purposes.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, Russian media have shown people bringing flowers and candles to the Wagner Center. Do you think Prigozhin will be seen as a -- as a martyr here? Maybe an unlikely inspiration to dissenters?

MORAN: I suppose, and among some and on the right in Russia, but let's face it, this couldn't happen to a nicer guy. He was a war criminal. He was a blood thirsty. You know, I don't want to use the term lunatic, but it gets close to fitting here. He was really unconcerned with human life and was very ambitious for his own purposes. I think, you know, his falling out with Putin, he tried to finesse that.

He tried to make it look as though it was just the generals in charge of the Russian military that he objected to. Putin didn't buy that because Putin had put those people in place and therefore it was an attack on Putin himself. I don't think Prigozhin realized until too late that he had crossed the Rubicon, so to speak, and there was no way back into Putin's good favor. The deal he cut with Putin was a very embarrassing moment for Putin.

It displayed an enormous amount of weakness on the part of Russians -- Russia's military and its -- and its regime. They could not stop Prigozhin. He stopped of his own accord. So that was an embarrassing moment. And again, going back to the well here, anybody who embarrasses Putin to that extent has got -- probably a short lifespan.

BRUNHUBER: So, it would seem. Really appreciate your insights, Michael Moran. Thank you so much.

MORAN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities here in Atlanta, where he's likely to be processed just like any other criminal defendant. More of the latest on the Georgia election subversion case next.

Plus, Trump may have skipped the first presidential primary debates, but eight of his rivals were there hoping for a standout moment on stage while the highlights coming up. Stay with us.

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[02:16:24]

BRUNHUBER: The coming hours, former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities here in Atlanta, but he decided to skip the first Republican debate Wednesday where all of his top rivals for the Republican nomination in next year's presidential race gathered. We'll have more on that in a moment.

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani was one of three former attorneys with the Trump team who voluntarily surrendered to Fulton County authorities on Wednesday. So far nine of Trump's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia election subversion case have turned themselves in ahead of Friday's deadline. Giuliani criticized the charges against him. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULLIANI, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: I'm being prosecuted for defending an American citizen who I do as a lawyer and five other lawyers are indicted. That should tell you right away that this is a -- an assault on our Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More on this, I'm joined by Areva Martin. A civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator in Los Angeles. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, Areva, what did you make of the cavalcade of defendants turning themselves in today? The fact that they were treated ostensibly the same as others, booked, fingerprinted, mug shots, the symbolism was striking. What message did all this send?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think the biggest message, Kim, is if you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime. I was elated to see that the Fulton County sheriff said these defendants would be treated as all other defendants are treated. They don't deserve any special treatment. They should not be given any privilege that any other defendant is not afford it. And that's what we saw today.

That's what we'll see presumably tomorrow. And as the others turn themselves in to meet the Friday deadline set by Fani Willis.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, tomorrow. I mean, Donald Trump is supposed to surrender. What are you expecting there?

MARTIN: Well, we know he's already negotiated with the prosecutors in terms of what his bill amount will be. We know that's $200,000. We know there are conditions that are attached to his bill, regarding his, you know, the judge admonishing him not to intimidate witnesses, not to make threats against individuals, against the community, against property in that state or in that county.

So, I expect is going to be in some ways pretty anticlimactic but in other ways, Kim, is historic, because we're going to see a twice impeached and fourth times indicted president -- ex-president have to turn himself in at a local jail. A county jail in a state. And this has never happened in this country. We've never had a former president face the kind of legal jeopardy that Donald Trump faces.

And it's going to be unprecedented, but also, I think a sad day for the country to see him turn himself in while he still is leading the Republican Party as the nominee for the 2024 election. BRUNHUBER: Well, that's just it. I mean, it says something that he's been trying to make political hay and significant fundraising not just from this indictment, but also all the theatrics surrounding what's going to happen tomorrow presumably.

MARTIN: He has done that. But one thing I think we should note is the difference in how the MAGA crowd is responding to these indictments. We know January 6, Donald Trump summons thousands of people to Washington, D.C. to the Capitol. And for every time that he's had to turn himself into one of these courthouses to face indictments, he's also invited crowds of people to show up to protest, to stand in solidarity with him and that hasn't happened.

[02:20:07]

So, I think the prosecutions of those insurrectionists from January 6, the stiff sentences that many of them have received, including the convictions of the Proud Boys has sent a message to many of his supporters that yes, you can support him. But if you step out of line, if you disobey the law, if you commit a crime, you will meet consequences, you will suffer those consequences.

So, I don't think we're going to see that large crowds show up in Atlanta tomorrow to support Donald Trump. And I think again, he's going to look like what he is. A fallen ex-president. A very small ex- president who will go down in history not for the policies that he enacted, not for the good work he did as a president, but for the legacy of being charged with 91 criminal counts.

BRUNHUBER: Well, now some of the defendants, notably former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows are trying to petition to move their cases from state to federal court. So, explain what grounds they might have and whether you think the move will work.

MARTIN: Yes. The essential grounds are -- they're claiming that they were federal officials, Mark Meadows is claiming that he engaged in the conduct that's outlined in the indictment, while he was serving as Chief of Staff of the President and saying that his actions are protected by the supremacy clause, are protected by the 14th and First Amendment. And because he was acting in this capacity as a -- an employee serving the President that a federal court should have jurisdiction over this matter.

At the heart of it, this is an attempt to try to have access to what Mark Meadows and others believe might be a more favorable jury pool. If this matter actually proceeds to trial, we know that the Fulton County jury is likely to be drawn from individuals that did not support Donald Trump. And the expectation is that by removing the case of federal court, the jurors will come from a broader cross section of individuals that live in that county and that perhaps there will be more jurors who are favorable to Trump who voted for Trump.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We will see it will be an important moment. If and when later today, Donald Trump does surrender here in Georgia. Appreciate your insights. Areva Martin, thank you so much. MARTIN: Thank you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. In a crowded Republican field, eight U.S. presidential hopefuls tried to break out of the pack during the first primary debate of the 2024 race and show why they're the party's top alternative to the front runner Donald Trump who opted out of the debate. Now tensions flared on stage in Milwaukee as the candidate sparred over top issues including the economy, abortion, and increased spending for Ukraine.

The rivals teaming up to target entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and take swipes not only at President Biden but also the former President Trump whose legal troubles became a hot topic during the debate. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? Please raise your hand if you would.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's just speak the truth, OK? President Trump, I believe was the best president of the 21st century.

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of President of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Joining me now is Ron Brownstein. CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic. Good to see you again. So, I want to start with the big picture here. Do these primary debates matter? A study that was done back in 2013 found that 60 percent of voters changed their minds after watching primary debates compared to 14 percent in the general election debates which makes sense due to polarization but that was in 2013.

I mean, no way 60 percent of Republican primary voters would change their mind. So, what is at stake here?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, some have mattered more than others. You know, through history, I would say this is going to go down on the spectrum as mattering less. I mean, you -- we can talk and we probably will talk about which candidate incrementally improve their position or diminish their position. Tim Scott kind of faded into the wallpaper. Ramaswamy was erratic, commanding a lot of attention, but also behaving in a way that probably reinforces the ceiling.

Nikki Haley was compelling for most of the evening. Ron DeSantis kind of hell served. But it all really kind of pales, you know, next to the big question.

[02:25:03] Did any of them do anything to change the dynamic in which Donald Trump has established a 40-point lead in national polls over all of them? And apart from Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, the usual suspects, none of them really displayed a lot of urgency about trying to make a case to all those Republican voters and now support Trump about why they might want to reconsider that decision.

And until that happens, you know, we're arguing about who finishes a distant second or a distant third to someone who at the at the moment is in a very commanding position.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I guess it's tough to find a winner or loser in that context. But -- so, let's turn to the issues. Anything surprising in terms of the issues discussed, the positions taken, abortion was a big topic, so was January 6 and as we heard in that soundbite, whether they would support Trump even if indicted.

BROWNSTEIN: That was, I thought the single most important moment of the evening where six of the eight -- I mean, Christie didn't -- affirmative, you know, decisively raise his hand, but clearly was in the campus that he would not support Trump at six of the eight. So, they would support Trump, even if he is convicted of a crime before the election. And you really have to let that sink in for a moment to kind of grasp the magnitude of what -- of what we are looking at.

From a policy point of view, I think the disagreements over Ukraine were probably the most significant. And, you know, I think that was -- from a policy perspective. The most memorable moment of the night was when Haley -- Nikki Haley said to Ramaswamy, you are siding with a murderer over a pro-American country. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows. I thought that was pretty memorable.

You know, Ramaswamy was kind of interesting. You know, there's a tradition in Republican primaries of candidates who really channel in an unreserved way the id of the base, and have a moment in the sun. Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann in 2012, Ben Carson, in some ways, in 2016. They all tend to flame out before the voting actually begins. And I thought that while Ramaswamy tonight managed to make himself a center of attention with really kind of extreme statements and sweeping denunciations of all of his rivals as being bought and paid for, he left a smaller figure I thought that he came on to the stage and probably reaffirmed the limits of how far he's able to go.

BRUNHUBER: Oh, interesting. OK. I would have thought maybe he might have distinguished himself with all that political bomb going but we'll see --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWNSTEIN: I think, you know, he did -- he did, you know, he did but I think in a way that also reinforces that you can only go so far, I think, with that kind of messaging.

BRUNHUBER: Right. All right. So, Trump loomed large even in his absence, but for the most part, the candidates avoided talking about the 40-point elephants not in the room, as the moderator said. Was he really the big winner here?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, yes. In the context of the Republican field, I think he clearly was. I mean, Trump made the calculation, which I think many political consultants would have supported as a whole, you know, hard, cold political assessment that he was so far ahead, he didn't need to elevate or give oxygen to these other candidates, by appearing on a stage with them. And it was incumbent on them to make him regret and then ultimately reconsider that decision by using his absence to make a case effectively against them.

And again, apart from the one question where the moderator is somewhat reluctantly seemed to get into the issue of his legal vulnerability and you saw Christie and Hutchinson raise those arguments about, you know, his behavior. Really no one else over the course of the two hours apart from Haley, once on, coming in from the right on the debt really made him a target. I mean, there was nothing that happened there that would cause Trump to reconsider his choice not even to engage with these candidates.

As long as his -- as long as they use his absence to go after each other, why would he ever put himself in a position where they can, you know, challenge him directly? It look, you know, the people I talked to after the debate, it looked an awful lot like the strategy of the Republican candidates in 2016 where they avoided direct confrontation with Trump in the hope that eventually something, somehow would cause his support to peel away and they would be in a position to pick it up if they weren't viewed by his voters as to antagonistic toward him.

Didn't work then and by every indication, it is not working now. And you have to think that after this debate, if the candidates are really running to beat him, as opposed to be in his cabinet or vice president, there would be a reassessment of their approach tonight.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, you asked the question, you know, why should he bother showing up? I mean, Trump himself asked that question in his counter programming interview on X, formerly known as Twitter. Listen to us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it's going to be and get harassed by people that shouldn't even be running for President?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It sounds like he doesn't plan on showing up to any of the other debates.

[02:30:06]

BROWNSTEIN: As I've said to you before, I draw a line between these national debates, and the debates of the early states, Iowa, New Hampshire, and maybe South Carolina, where skipping those debates can look like a slight, not only to the sponsors or the other candidates, but to the voters in those states. He skipped the Iowa debate, you may recall, right at the very end of

the 2016, right before the caucus, and he ended up narrowly losing the caucus. So I think his calculation may be a little different. But by and large, what he's saying is right. I mean it really is a challenge for the other candidates to force him to reconsider that.

And the only way they can do so is by making it so uncomfortable for him not to be there. By making such a strong case against him that he would regret not being in position to rebut it, and no one really did that tonight.

I mean Christie certainly came the closest but even he focused almost entirely on the legal problems. The rest of them spoke very little about Trump. They also spoke very little about DeSantis, which was kind of intriguing. I mean DeSantis thought he was going to be the center of the debate.

And I think there are those who believe that the fact that the other candidates really didn't devote much energy to going after him reflects a belief that he is on a downward spiral on his own and they don't need to put any more momentum on that. So we will see how that plays out. But the lack of attack on DeSantis may have been the most revealing aspect of how the field views his status in the race.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, the candidates tell you what they think right there, always telling. Ron Brownstein, always appreciate your insight on this. Thank you so much.

BRONSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Alright so ahead more details on the plane crash involving Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and how Russians are reacting to the incident. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: More on our top story this hour, some Russians are already paying tribute to Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who's believed to have died in a plane crash. They lit candles, and placed flowers outside the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg Wednesday night. Earlier, Russia said that the mercenary leader was on board a plane that went down northwest of Moscow. Fred Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Probably the last moments of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. This jet, an Embraer Legacy 600, seen falling from the sky, a wing appearing to be missing.

[02:35:12]

Russian authorities confirming Prigozhin was on board the aircraft. CNN is unable to confirm the authenticity of this video but Ria Novosti claim it was the moment that an Embraer jet fell from the sky in the Tver region, north of Moscow. Flight data shows the plane traveling from Moscow, on a heading to St.

Petersburg, before it suddenly stops transmitting. Russian media say ten people were on board, all of them believed dead. And that Prigozhin's name was also on the passenger manifest.

The Wagner Mercenary Group fought bitterly in Ukraine, notably in Bakhmut, gaining some territory but also incurring heavy losses. Prigozhin ripping into Russia's defense minister, and his top general, accusing them of withholding ammo, leading to further death of his fighters.

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, LEADER, WAGNER MERCENARY GROUP (through translator): You think you are the masters of this life? You think you could dispose of other lives? You think, because you have warehouses full of ammunition that you have that right?

PLEITGEN: In late June, Prigozhin went a step further, launching a rebellion he said aimed to unseat the leadership of the defense ministry. Prigozhin finally relented and Wagner's troops were ordered to Belarus. But days later, Putin took aim at Prigozhin himself.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will protect our people and our statehood from any threats, including treason from the inside. What we are facing now is treason. Unreasonable ambitions and personal interests led to treachery, state treason and betrayal of our people.

PLEITGEN: World reaction to the latest news has been swift and blunt.

JOE BIDEN, US PRESIDENT: There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind. But iI don't know enough to know the answer.

PLEITGEN: No comment from the Russian president. He held a moment of silence, but for Soviet soldiers killed in World War II, in Kursk, as the debris of the plane carrying what was one of his most important fighters burns in a field, north of Russia's capital. Fred Pleitgen , CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: For more on this I'm joined by Peter Layton who's a Visiting Fellow with the Griffith Asia Institute. He joins me now from Brisbane, Australia. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, listen, we don't know if it was an accident, or whether it was shot down, but if it were an act of the state, would that kind of operation have to be authorized by Putin himself?

PETER LAYTON, VISITING FELLOW, GRIFFITH ASIA INSTITUTE: You would certainly assume so. If this was authorized by President Putin, he would certainly have done it at some distance so it can't necessarily be pinned back to him.

But at the same time, of course, it's a spectacular act. And the timing is very suspicious, bearing in mind that the coup was only a couple of months ago. So, you would assume that Putin is trying to send a message to other insiders or opponents that, if they get in his way he will, in some way remove them.

It is certainly spectacular, bearing in mind, that over the last several years we have gotten used to opponents being removed using nerve gas out poisoning or even falling out of windows. But this is a very newsworthy event. It's certainly sending a signal, I think.

BRUNHUBER: Now the Wagner force that Prigozhin commanded played such an important role in the war in Ukraine so far, what do you think this means for the Wagner Mercenary specifically then?

LAYTON: I think since the coup, and certainly for the last six months there's been lots of opposition from the Wagner Group towards the Russian permanent military forces. Just recently there's been a private military force formed under the Gazprom company, which is Russia's largest company.

I would expect the Wagner Group would gradually be taken over by a company like Gazprom. Wagner still remains important as a group because they have a lot of operatives, especially around Africa. I don't think that Putin will let the Wagner Group vanish in that sense, but rather there will be a hostile takeover.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting, so you don't think that they will just be folded into the regular forces?

LAYTON: I don't think these are the kind of people that you want in the regular forces. The regular forces have sufficient troubles with their personal management and their morale now, plus the Wagner Group obviously has special privileges and a special pay. So I think that Russia will always find a useful, if you like, a somewhat covert force, that doesn't wear uniforms.

[02:40:09]

So there's certainly useful high yield around African countries.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting, so in terms of the battlefield, more generally, will this have any effect? Maybe getting them out of the way will bring some order to the chaos that we've seen over the last year?

LAYTON: There has been affirmative order happening over the last six months, plus the Wagner forces were good as camouflage (?) literally. And they stopped the Ukrainian advance by accepting dreadful losses on the battlefield.

The Russian army is now fighting a defensive war. So I don't think that they'll miss Wagner that much. There are, of course, several other mercenary forces out there as well. It's just that those mercenary forces tend to be quieter and under control.

BRUNHUBER: And finally another thing that happened just recently, General Sergey Surovikin, who had served as commander of Russian forces in Ukraine until he was relieved, or was demoted and then he was relieved now as commander of Russia's air and space forces. He had been associated with Prigozhin and suspected of being involved in the mutiny. So what do you make of this latest development and the message it sends?

LAYTON: Certainly the timing is apt, let's say. That certainly reinforces the message that President Putin is trying to send. It was also helpful, I suppose, that Utkin, who is Wagner's founder, was also on that doomed jet as well. So it seems that Putin is cleaning things up and decisively closing the book on the coup. He's certainly signaling that he is back in charge. And that anyone opposing him will be ruthlessly stamped out.

BRUNHUBER: Alright, always appreciate hearing from you, Peter Layton. Thank you so much for joining us.

LAYTON: Thank you very much, cheers.

BRUNHUBER: Prigozhin's Wagner militia has operated not only in Ukraine. His mercenaries are also active in more than a dozen African countries. Coming up, we will go live to Johannesburg for a look at the legacy of force and terror here leaves South of the Sahara. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The presumed death of Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leaves a void at the top of a very controversial and very active private international militia. Wagner became prominent for its, now ended, combat role in Ukraine, and Prigozhin's mutiny against the Russian military.

But it's also operating in more than a dozen African countries. Prigozhin recently seems to suggest that his mercenaries could help Niger's military coup leaders as well. Just days ago he argued that Wagner is making Africa freer. Listen to this.

[02:45:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, LEADER, WARNER MERCENARY GROUP (through translator): We are working. The temperature is plus 50. Everything is just the way we like it. Wagner PMC is conducting RPD, making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even freer. Justice and happiness for the african people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Senior international correspondent David McKenzie is looking at Prigozhin's legacy of conflict in Africa, and he's in Johannesburg. So David, how important a force were and are Wagner in certain African countries, and what happens now?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, they have been an important factor in many African countries. You had that map earlier showing where Wagner has been previously active and is now active. Some of their area of operations in Southern Africa, they have retreated from those zones. But certainly in the Sahel, in the West Africa, they are still

extremely active and very critical in terms of what they say are their role in helping security. But analysts, particularly from the West, say that their involvement has been more about self enrichment often, and that the security situation in those countries have, often, deteriorated.

You have the video that you're showing now, of Prigozhin, unable to verify exactly where he is. But it's clear that the message he was giving, shortly before he potentially met his demise, according to Russian authorities, is that Wagner is active and ready to help in Africa. Now some specifics here. In Central African Republic, and Mali in particular, Wagner has been very active in propping up the military governments and the leaders there.

I think what happens now is a big open question. It all depends on how critical Prigozhin was to the operations and leadership within Wagner. Sometimes we forget, because Prigozhin has been so much in the news since the start of the war in Ukraine, that he was a very shadowy figure that never really spoke about the links to Wagner, or even acknowledge them. Nor did The Kremlin for many years.

Really, it's on the African continent and part of the Middle East where Wagner was most active and still is most active. Just a short while ago, an independent investigation linked to the UK parliament said that it was a big mistake to ignore and not deal with Wagner's presence on the African continent, which comes in two forms.

One is the security assistance that they say they are giving to these countries, and the other is the PSYOPs operations. The psychological warfare that they have done to sew distrust on Western nations using local bloggers, using social media. And that has also had an impact according to analysts in those zones.

If you look forward to what happens next, Wagner was making a play to try to get involved in Niger, in West Africa, which just had a coup. Whether they can continue their involvement with Prigozhin off the scene or not, remains to be seen. But they are a very significant factors in those countries.

BRUNHUBER: Fascinating. Thanks so much. David McKenzie in Johannesburg. Appreciated it. North Korea says its second attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit has failed. State media report the rocket carrying the satellite suffered a malfunction after liftoff on Thursday.

Japan says it broke apart with pieces crashing into the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and Pacific Ocean. The launch briefly prompted an evacuation order for residents of Japan's Okinawa region. North Korea says it will try to launch a spy satellite again in October.

Thursday's launch comes as the U.S. and South Korea have been holding joint military drills. China says it firmly opposes and strongly condemns Japan's release of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Nuclear site into the ocean. Japan began the release just a few hours ago. It's part of a controversial government plan that's been in the works

for years. It has nonetheless sparked some anxiety and health concerns in the region. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the release meets safety standards and would have a negligible impact on the people and the environment.

The fishing communities in japan and south korea worry about the impact of their livelihoods. CNN's Marc Stewart is in Tokyo. So Marc, take us through what's happening now, how long it's going to take and the reaction we've already been seeing.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kim. It is just after three in the afternoon here in Tokyo and this water release, this initial water release, has been taking place for the last two hours or so. This is going to be a gradual process. Something that is going to take years to accomplish. Perhaps close to a decade.

[02:50:07]

The amount of water we're talking about is so voluminous it could fill around 500 olympic-sized swimming pools. Initially we're gonna see a release taking place over the next two weeks, but this is going to be a much long term, much bigger project taking place. It is, as you mentioned, being met with skepticism.

For example, hong kong recently announced it's going to ban the import of some Japanese seafood. China, as you mentioned, has been very skeptical as well, expressing a lot of concern about some of the scientific study and analysis taking place. In fact, it's a topic that came up recently at a ministry of foreign affairs briefing. Let's take a listen.

BRUNHUBER: Alright, I think we don't have that particular clip. But can you just walk us through the reaction that we have been seeing to this? Certainly it sparked a lot of anger, not just in Japan, but elsewhere as well.

STEWART: Indeed, Kim. This has been a regional issue and many governments surrounding Japan have expressed concerns. We have heard concerns from South Korea, we have heard concerns in recent months from some of the Pacific Islands in this region near Australia and New Zealand.

Yet if we look at how Japan is approaching this, it is getting the backing of the International Atomic Energy Agency which says this radioactive discharge, a substance known as tritium, is pretty much negligible. In fact it is something that many nuclear plants around the world, pretty much every continent, release. So that's how this back and forth is being combated. There's the scientific reality and then there's this bigger question of perception, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Alright. Thanks so much. Marc Stewart, in Tokyo. Appreciate it. Still to come, thick smoke darkens the skies around Athens as firefighters attempt to douse hundreds of fires in the region. We'll take you to Athens with the latest. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: More than 100 municipalities in Portugal are under the countries maximum fire risk alert, according to officials. The announcement came on Tuesday amid sweltering temperatures as more than half of the country surpassed 40 degrees celsius. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed to bring local fires under control.

Officials say the alert will last until Sunday. Meanwhile firefighters in Greece are racing to contain more than 200 wildfires that have broken out since Monday, including nearly 100 in the last 24 hours. High winds are fueling the flames, increasing the threat to residents as well as their homes and national parks. Smoke from the combined fires has made air quality extremely low in Athens, even spreading to Malta and Italy. CNN's Eleni Giokos is in Athens with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Devastation, destruction and desperation. As greece continues to struggle with catastrophic wildfires. Here in Agia Paraskevi, in Northern Athens, herculean efforts to put out wildfires fueled by high winds in an area of forest which is known as the lungs of Athens. The Parnitha Mountain, ablaze.

[02:55:10]

Firefighters say the Greece fires are like a war zone, with many locals refusing to leave their homes. Some staying until the bitter end, only to watch their homes go up in flames.

UNKNOWN (though translator): I am not leaving my home.

GIOKOS (voice-over): Street by street, the flames rage on, with no regard for the people or pets in its path.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We're trying to put out fire. Sadly, the firefighters have been stationed here from last night, but didn't have a drop of water. So we have to do it ourselves.

GIOKOS (voice-over): The capital, Athens, was surrounded by flames and thick black smoke.

GIOKOS: The wind has just suddenly picked up rapidly, you can see this fire spreading. I mean within seconds it has erupted into massive flames. This is what the Greek fire fighting force has to contend with, a herculean task. We're going to have to leave. It's now getting too close.

GIOKOS (voice-over): In the last 48 hours there have been 209 wildfires around Greece. According to fire brigade spokesperson, Ioanis Artopios, according to state news agency, ANMA. As Europe's sweltering summer continues with intense heat for the third month in a row. Eleni Giokos, CNN, Athens, Greece.

BRUNHUBER: The Rolling Stones appeared to be starting up rumors that a new album is on the way. Well this cryptic ad, have a look here, that has appeared in a London newspaper. Seemingly, for a glass repair company called Hackney Diamonds, but it has hints of Rolling Stones lyrics all over it, and it appears to tease a September album release date.

Now the rock legends aren't saying anything about it. It would be the group's first studio album since the death of longtime drummer, Charlie Watts, in 2021. Alright, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.

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