MOSCOW — Russian President Putin's regime faced its most significant challenge in decades when his longtime ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a violent rebellion on Saturday.
Prigozhin, who has played a significant role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, abruptly ended the insurgency less than 24 hours after his private mercenary fighters, called the Wagner Group, took control of the strategic southern city of Rostov and began an armed convoy march towards Moscow.
In exchange for turning back, the criminal case against Prigozhin was dropped, and he agreed to go into official exile in Belarus.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Prigozhin's challenge to Putin's authority is "extraordinary" and has exposed "cracks" in the nation that "weren't there before."
He also believes that the rebellion could ultimately change the course of the war in Ukraine, and that the U.S. remains "intensely focused" on the region.
Blinken added that the war has been "a devastating, strategic failure" for Putin as Russia is now weaker economically, militarily, and its standing around the world has plummeted.
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