Rebellion in Russia reveals 'cracks' in Putin's regime, Secretary Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said overmuch remains chartless astir the chaos that unfolded successful Russia connected Saturday, but that the interior clash exposed "cracks" successful the federation that "weren't determination before."

Russian President Vladimir Putin faced a violent, attempted insurrection Saturday by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime Putin state who led backstage mercenary fighters called the Wagner Group. But little than 24 hours aft Wagner mercenaries seemingly took power of the strategical confederate metropolis of Rostov and began an equipped convoy march towards Moscow, Prigozhin abruptly announced the equipped rebellion was over.

In speech for turning back, the transgression lawsuit against Prigozhin was dropped, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian reporters, according to the state-controlled outlet TASS. Prigozhin himself "will spell to Belarus," Peskov said, describing what appeared to beryllium a benignant of authoritative exile.

Prigozhin has played a cardinal relation successful Russia's penetration of Ukraine, truthful his departure could yet alteration the people of the war. And though his rebellion was short-lived, it marked the astir superior situation to Putin's authorities successful decades.

"This is conscionable an added section to a very, precise atrocious publication that Putin has written for Russia," Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

Blinken said Prigozhin has been liable for "horrible brutality" successful Ukraine, and that successful galore ways, Prigozhin is Putin's nonstop creation. He said it is excessively soon to archer precisely what the rift betwixt the 2 men volition mean for Russia, but that the U.S. remains "intensely focused" connected Ukraine.

Prigozhin's nonstop situation of Putin's authorization is "extraordinary," Blinken added, arsenic Prigozhin has managed to rise questions astir the motivations for Russia's penetration of Ukraine successful the archetypal place.

He said the warfare has yet been "a devastating, strategical failure" for Putin.

"We've seen this aggression against Ukraine go a strategical nonaccomplishment crossed the board," helium said. "Russia is weaker economically, militarily, its lasting astir the satellite has plummeted."

Blinken expects the U.S. volition larn much specifics astir the woody betwixt Putin and Prigozhin, arsenic good arsenic what volition go of the Wagner Group, successful the coming weeks and months.