US officials react to Russia’s Wagner mutiny: Putin’s power appears diminished.

Putin’s Weakness Exposed as Wagner Group Mounts Mutiny

Top U.S. officials on June 25 reacted to news out of Russia that the Wagner Private Military Company had mounted a mutiny against the Russian state before withdrawing, saying it shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin is weaker within his own nation than many thought.

The conflict between Putin and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin—formerly known as “Putin’s chef” for the close personal relationship the two enjoyed—kicked off on June 23 after a long-running feud between Prigozhin and the Russian Defence Ministry appeared to reach a boiling point.

Prigozhin claimed that Russian military forces had intentionally killed a “huge” number of Wagner group contractors as part of his justification for the assault.

But the incursion seemed to end almost as soon as it began, spanning a roughly 24-hour period in which Wagner saw huge gains into the Russian heartland before inexplicably cutting a deal with Russia and withdrawing. Prigozhin was granted amnesty from criminal action for treason as part of his deal not to continue his march on Moscow and has retired to Belarus, a Russian satellite state.

Information about the sequence of events is limited in Russia, where press freedom is restricted, and many conflicting accounts of events have emerged.

U.S. Officials React

Top U.S. officials are contending with the dizzying speed of the advance, compromise, and withdrawal, saying that it indicates that Putin is weaker than many thought.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken ran a circuit of morning shows on Sunday, where he fielded questions about U.S. intelligence about the saga.

Blinken called reports out of Russia “extraordinary.” Former CIA Director David Petraeus called them “stunning.”

Blinken confessed to CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that U.S. intelligence is unsure why Wagner suddenly retreated after coming, according to reports, within 125 miles of Moscow, which had begun to set up heavy fortifications in preparation for the Wagner onslaught.

“We don’t have full information, honestly, and it’s too soon to tell exactly where this is going to go,” Blinken said when asked about the retreat. “And I suspect that this is a moving picture, and we haven’t seen the last act yet.”

Petraeus said that Progozhin “lost his nerve” and said, “It brings to mind also Napoleon’s admonition, ‘If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.’”

‘Beginning of the End for Putin’

As the dust begins to settle from what could have spiraled into a full-scale crisis for Putin, many observers are predicting that it could be the “beginning of the end” for the embattled Russian president.

Blinken, however, was hesitant to apply such an analysis.

“Do you believe that this is the beginning of the end for Vladimir Putin?” Bash asked.

“I don’t want to speculate about that,” Blinken said. “This is, first of all, an internal matter for Russia.”

However, he argued that Russian military action in Ukraine has become a strategic failure across the board. He said Russia is weaker economically and militarily, and its standing around the world has plummeted. It managed to get Europeans off of Russian energy. It managed to unite and strengthen NATO with new members and a stronger alliance. It managed to alienate Ukraine from Russia and unite it in ways that it’s never been before.

“This is just an added chapter to a very, very bad book that Putin has written for Russia.”

Blinken added that it’s “striking” that these events transpired from within the nation rather than without, as until now, the Russian homeland has faced little military repercussions for its action in Ukraine.

“It adds cracks, where those go when they get there too soon to say, but it clearly raises new questions that Putin has to deal with,” Blinken said.

“This moment shows the cracks within with Russia and Putin losing his grip on that country,” Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who recently announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, agreed.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that for the invasion to have gotten as far as it did, there must have been “accomplices” within the Russian military.

“For any government to have stability, they have to control their military,” Turner said. “Obviously, in order [for Progozhin] to make it that distance, he has to have accomplices.

“Where was the Russian Air Force in preventing this?” he wondered.

“That’s going to be an issue that Putin is going to have to deal with both internationally and domestically,” Turner said. “His government as an authoritarian government depends on its assertion of power and force in order to be able to continue to wield power. And that certainly is going to be an issue.”

Petraeus said that the sequence of events shows “clearly Putin is weakened, his government is weakened.”

“Who knows where this could go,” he added. “Now, we’ve always asked who would be the one who would strike a blow at the Tsar, and now we know, although he failed.”

Nevertheless, Petraeus suggested, “It creates a lot of doubts, I’m sure, in the minds of those around him,” particularly as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to fall below optimistic initial expectations.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said, “It showed a demonstrable crack in the strength of Vladimir Putin at home. It was a visible rejection of his war policy by a guy who had been his ally, who clearly had gone insubordinate on him.”

“This really does hurt Putin, and not only just politically and in his leadership in Russia and his presidency, but in his efforts to continue the war in Ukraine,” Turner agreed.

How Should the US Respond?

Officials also opined on U.S. responses to the instability caused by the situation as it continues to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion, with most recommending continued support of Ukraine.

Bash asked Blinked, “The Ukrainian foreign minister … says it’s time for the US and others to put the foot on the gas, give Ukraine everything it needs to finish this. Is that going to happen?”

“We have worked to make sure that the Ukrainians have what they need when they need it to do as well as they possibly can on the ground,” Blinken said. “We’ll continue to do that. We’re relentlessly focused on this. There’s tremendous unity of purpose.”