Antony Blinken, the senior diplomat for the United States of America, has stated that a failed armed uprising in Russia reveals “real cracks” in the authority of President Vladimir Putin.
He stated this to the US media. The revolt that took place on Saturday and was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner soldiers was a “direct challenge” to Mr. Putin, and it ultimately resulted in an amnesty accord being reached.
Wagner’s advance into Moscow was delayed as a result of the deal. Earlier, the mercenaries had taken control of two significant Russian cities.
Mr. Putin initially levelled allegations of treason against the group, but those allegations were ultimately abandoned.
According to the terms of the agreement, Wagner fighters are required to return to their field bases, while Prigozhin fighters are required to relocate to Russia’s western neighbour, Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, participated in the negotiations.
It is not known where Prigozhin, a former Putin supporter, is located at the present time. The last time he was seen in public, he was leaving the city of Rostov-on-Don, which was one of the two towns in the south where his fighters had taken control of military facilities.
According to a post published on the Russian news website RTVI on Sunday afternoon, the press staff for Prigozhin stated that he would respond to questions from the media “when he has normal communication means.” It did not disclose any other details.
Since the nationwide TV address that he gave on Saturday morning to condemn the uprising, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public since the event.
Mr. Blinken stated on Sunday that the 24-hour uprising in Russia “raises profound questions; it shows real cracks” while speaking to CBS, the BBC’s news partner in the United States.
Mr. Blinken, who also appeared on a number of other talk shows in the United States, stated that it was “too early” to determine what impact the mutiny could have on the Kremlin or on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was initiated in February 2022.
According to what Mr. Blinken said in an interview with ABC, “If you put this into context, sixteen months ago, Putin was on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, looking to take the city in a matter of days and erase the country from the map.”
“Now, in order to defend Moscow, the capital of Russia, against a mercenary of his own making, he was forced to put up a fight.”
The US envoy continued by saying that he did not want to “speculate” about where all of this could lead Russia or personally lead President Putin. He said this because he did not want to make any predictions.
The Russian government has not issued a statement in response to Mr. Blinken’s comments.
According to Steve Rosenberg, the Russia editor for the BBC in Moscow, President Putin does not appear to have emerged from Saturday’s events in a particularly strong position.
He claims that the Wagner force was successful in seizing control of military installations in a large Russian city with relative ease, and that they then proceeded to advance northward in the direction of Moscow.
And Prigozhin is a free man, despite the fact that he attempted to overthrow the leadership of the Russian military.