Flash: Uprising reveals cracks in Putin’s power
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the uprising has raised questions about the power of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. “I think you see cracks appearing that weren’t there before,” said Blinken on Sunday on US broadcaster CNN. The uprising “clearly raises new issues that Putin needs to deal with.” “The fact that there is someone inside who is directly challenging Putin’s authority, directly challenging the premises upon which he launched this aggression against Ukraine, that in itself is very, very powerful.”
Blinken emphasized several times that the uprising, which has since ended, is an “internal matter” for Russia. The government of US President Joe Biden has previously been conspicuously reticent about public assessments of developments in Russia – like other governments in the West. According to US media, it was a strategy as Putin could weaponize any perceived involvement. When asked if the uprising was Putin’s end of power, Blinken said: “I don’t want to speculate on that.”