As members of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group headed back to their bases and withdrew from the Russian city of Rostov on Sunday, one U.S. official said that it shows “cracks” in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s power amid a drawn out invasion of Ukraine that appears to be taking its toll on Russia.
In an interview Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News that “16 months ago, Russian forces were on the doorstep of Kyiv, Ukraine, thinking they were going to take the city in a matter of days,” adding that “now they have to be focused on defending Moscow, Russia’s capital, against mercenaries” that were initially backed by Putin.
