Where is Russian President Vladimir Putin? – BBC News

we start in Russia where 24 hours after the end of a short-lived Rebellion posed the greatest challenge yet to Vladimir Putin's Authority the president's whereabouts remain unknown there's been speculation that the Russian leader fled Moscow during the crisis after his presidential Jets were tracked leaving the city the U.S Secretary of State Anthony blinken says the events show the cracks of Mr Putin's Authority Evgeni pagosian the head of the Wagner mercenary group pictured here leaving the Russian city of rostov on Don on a Saturday evening is reportedly going into Exile in Belarus after abandoning his Advance on Moscow and with Wagner forces firing their guns into the sky and cheers from the watching public his troops also Deport Departed the city tensions had been building between Mr burgosian and Russia's military leadership for some time over their approach to the war in Ukraine our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg reports [Music] leaving as Heroes the Wagner Fighters pulling out of rostov last night you'd think they'd just won a war the leader of the mercenary group yevgeni pregosian was off too he'd just done a deal with the Kremlin to end their mutiny the Rebellion started here then spread North it was the biggest challenge to Vladimir Putin's Authority since he came to powerful Russia's commander-in-chief likes to project an image of strength a mutiny on his watch is embarrassing but is it damaging to Vladimir Putin will there be political Fallout ahead of next year's election he definitely looks weaker all Elite groups will begin to think about the presidency 2024. should they rely as they did even one week before this military coup on Vladimir Putin or should they think about someone new but there's no sign yet that someone new in the Kremlin is Mr Putin's plan Vladimir Putin is determined to show that he is in charge in control in the Kremlin and he has the Russian State media to help him paint that picture trouble is the dramatic events of the last couple of days have raised questions about how in control the Russian authorities are of the situation here instability Russians can feel it the rebel Wagner Fighters may not have made it to Moscow but people here were watching nervously and waiting I'm a mother with three children Anna tells me of course I'm terrified by what has happened we were scared these events would spread to Moscow Nastia says there's nothing ordinary citizens can do to influence the situation it's decided above our heads many Russians tell me that they don't believe they have the power to change what is happening in their country to make their voices heard to turn things around Steve Rosenberg BBC News Moscow well America's most senior Diplomat Anthony blinken has been speaking following yesterday's events in Russia saying the Revolt exposed real cracks in President Putin's Authority I think we're in the midst of a moving picture we haven't seen we haven't seen the last act we're watching it very closely and carefully but just step back for a second and put this in in context 16 months ago Russian forces were on the doorstep of Kiev in Ukraine thinking they take the city in a matter of days thinking they would erase Ukraine from the map as an independent country now over this weekend they've had to defend Moscow Russia's capital against mercenaries of Putin's own making pagosian himself in this entire incident has raised profound questions about the very premises for Russia's aggression against Ukraine in the first place saying that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia which is part of Putin's narrative and it was a direct challenge to Putin's Authority so this raises profound questions it shows real cracks we can't speculate or know exactly where that's going to go we do know that Putin has a lot more to answer for in the in the weeks and months ahead well North America correspondent David Willis told me from Washington that Anthony blinken had been diplomatic in his answer he chose his words very carefully indeed these were the first comments by an official of the Bible Administration since the crisis broke out in Russia and Anthony blinken chose those words as I say very carefully indeed what stood out for me is that he clearly believes that the Revolt that we've seen in Russia over the last day or so presents an opportunity for the West in the same way that it presents a challenge for Vladimir Putin and he also made clear to Mr blinken that there is a lot that the west and its allies still don't know they include the whereabouts of Vladimir Putin himself the whereabouts of Mr pregosian and also where this whole crisis might lead what it might end with it's a moving picture Anthony blinken said on one of the talk shows this morning asked about President Biden's remark last last year that this man a reference to Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power Mr blinken was particularly diplomatic he said that's a decision for the Russian people it's not our business it's not our purpose that's up to Russia and its people I think the United States its allies very keen Samantha to make the point that they are not to be seen to be meddling in internal events in Russia or seeking of course to inflame them yeah and obviously everybody's waiting to see how and what impact this could have on the war in Ukraine or are they are there any thoughts there yet as to how this could impact on the U.S relationship with Ukraine well it's a key question isn't it and uh the uh president uh Joe Biden has been meeting before he left for Camp David yesterday with members of his National Security team that includes the U.S defense secretary it includes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the chairman of the CIA the very top defense and intelligence officials here and President Biden also convened a call in bombing the leaders of France Germany and the UK following which a statement was released affirming the unwavering support for Ukraine Anthony blinken separately spoke to a G7 leader so that question that you posed how this affects the war in Ukraine how it affects NATO key to those discussions which are ongoing and will be uh for the foreseeable future I think David Willis there well joining me now live are Leon Aaron senior fellow at the American Enterprise institution and author of a new book on Vladimir Putin as well as John lechner researcher and freelance journalist writing a book on the Wagner group uh gentlemen lovely to have you with us thanks very much for being here um Leon if I can start with you what does the events of the past 24 48 Hours mean for Vladimir Putin and his control over his country um he looks um weakened the three constituencies that he has the people the Army and the political class all seem to be at best indifferent um in the case of the people um instead of waving Putin's portraits and the Russia's Flags uh in rustov which was taken by the Wagner group they gave the troops water and candy and photographed with them uh we have not seen a single political leader uh backing Putin publicly and of course the Army melted away um before um the Wagner group now uh probably the symbolic damage to Putin is the greatest look he addressed the nation calling um this at reason and calling this um uh calling without naming him calling pregosian a Trader well after you imply prison uh treason and calling somebody a traitor you do not for give them you do not uh and let them go into a peaceful Exile into a fraternal country next door he looks definitely deflated yeah so let's pick up on that John and progression has been let go it seems for now it looks like he's going to go into Exile in neighboring Belarus but we haven't actually heard from him and he's previously been extremely vocal what do you think the immediate future holds for him um and it's difficult to Hazard I guess at this moment because I mean as your reporters have been saying that the situation is extremely fluid we simply don't know uh where he is right now um if he does show up in Belarus I think a lot of folks are skeptical that he will just kind of go off quietly into into retirement and uh even if he does show up in Belarus there'll be a lot of remaining questions is he still ahead of the partner organization we'll talk or continue to exist uh in its present form or uh is his move to Belarus kind of significant in terms of uh new management for the organization well let me ask you some of those questions as an expert on the Wagner group and because it is the creation pretty much of one man of progression and a lot of them seem to have loyalty to him didn't they he created a cult around himself almost what do you think is going to happen to those um people who have served him and this militia force not just in Ukraine but also around the world very much in Africa as well or um I think you know first of all we have to we have to think about whether or not we're going to see any significant changes at the top of management and thus far we can't say uh for certainly that we will um that being said you're right uh the ocean has created a certain loyal base within the organization but at the same time it's safe to say that that there are others within the organization who who were caught off guard by this move and perhaps didn't necessarily agree with it uh and did not want to be put in this position um and so if there were a change in management I think as it pertains to Africa and elsewhere it's difficult to see uh other individuals within the Russian government or other Russian institutions wanting to dismantle the infrastructure that Wagner has put in place in Africa like Central African Republic Mali uh Sudan and Libya and so I think if there were a change in management what we would likely to see is something not overnight but a very kind of slow change of personnel rather than a dismantling or withdrawal of forces Leon experts on Vladimir Putin often talk about him having a Playbook a certain way that he'll react to events he often when threatened doubles down doesn't he do you think he saw this coming in any way and how prepared may he have been for this and we obviously haven't heard from him for quite a few hours now after he addressed the nation that well and also he went uh too long he waited for 24 hours look in the authoritarian Playbook you usually address the nation after you defeat the enemy preferably showing uh on the video the execution of the enemy um put in here is not uh looking very decisive I think he waited this long because he was trying to gather the troops he he was trying to see if he could actually smash a precaution uh militarily um he could not and he did not and it's interesting that um in his address to the nation he no longer used the Trope that he always used which is this is like the Nazi invasion in 1941 he said this is like the October revolution of 1917. well in October Revolution um uh the Bolshevik took power with uh two regiments and uh four uh armored vehicle so I wonder if Putin uh subconsciously or consciously um tried to to forestall this kind of uh outcome and yet it appears that if a pregosian and Wagner had gone on to Moscow Putin would have trouble finding uh troops to protect him yeah John which begs the question what deal do you think was done to ensure that progression back down walked away effectively yeah well I mean I think uh first and foremost it I think it's important to to differentiate whether we think uh pregotian was out to commit a clue and else Putin from power or whether or not he was doing a very uh particularly naked short show of force but one which was an appeal to authority to oust his Rivals internally specifically within the Russian Ministry of Defense now I tend to think that it's actually the latter and that this was a particularly bold attempt to prevent himself from being subordinated to his main Rivals uh within the Russian government itself and I think that he probably uh saw events kind of uh move away from him and from his control as well and we don't know exactly what what was in the negotiations there's speculation uh that uh there might be some sort of repercussions for individuals within the ministry of Defense who who are Rivals of pregos for example was just given an off ramp uh and an ability to to go off uh and actually have retirement and see see his Fighters uh under amnesty I think if we see significant developments within the Russian Ministry of Defense in the coming days then we'll have a more clear picture of what negotiations were taking place