CNN military analyst calls out 'losers' in Russia-Wagner conflict

F DEAL THAT THE PRESIDENT OF BELARUS, LUKASHENKO, HELPED TO NEGOTIATE HERE. >> VERY SIGNIFICANT. JILL, AS YOU KNOW, THE KREMLIN NOW SAYS THE CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST PRIGOZHIN WILL BE DROPPED. WHAT DOES ALL THIS REVEAL ABOUT VLADIMIR PUTIN’S GRASP ON POWER RIGHT NOW? >> WELL, I STILL THINK THAT HE IS IN A VERY WEAKENED POSITION AFTER THIS — I MEAN, AFTER, YOU KNOW, A REBELLION, ALMOST GETTING TO MOSCOW. THERE’S NO QUESTION. AND HE’S ALSO LEFT WITH THIS DILEMMA OF WHAT DO YOU DO WITH PRIGOZHIN. PRIGOZHIN IS A TIME BOMB, AND THEY KNOW IT. SO THIS IDEA

THAT YOU GET HIM OUT OF RUSSIA, YOU SEND HIM TO BELARUS, IT SOUNDS A LITTLE STRANGE, BUT I CANNOT IMAGINE THAT PRIGOZHIN WOULD CONTINUE TO BE IN RUSSIA BECAUSE EVERY DAY THAT HE’S THERE HE’S A POTENTIAL THREAT. I MEAN, WHAT PRIGOZHIN WANTS IS TO GET RID OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE MILITARY. DOES HE WANT PUTIN TO GO? NOT NECESSARILY. BUT HE’S BEEN VERY CRITICAL IN EFFECT BY SAYING WHAT HE SAID, THAT PUTIN WAS MISLED BY HIS MILITARY. SO IT IS A VERY CONFUSING SITUATION, BUT I THINK — I WAS ASKING MYSELF WHY WOULD THEY LET

LUKASHENKO DO THIS DEAL. AND I DO THINK THAT IF PUTIN WERE TO NEGOTIATE DIRECTLY WITH PRIGOZHIN, IT WOULD PUT THEM ON THE SAME LEVEL. VLADIMIR PUTIN COULD NEVER DO

THAT. HE GETS LUKASHENKO WHO OWES HIM A LOT TO DO THE DEAL. IT LEAVES QUESTIONS. DOES WAGNER DISBAND? WHERE DO THEY GO? DO THEY GO BACK TO FIGHT? DO THEY EXIST? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LUCRATIVE BUSINESS PRIGOZHIN HAD FROM WAGNER? IT’S QUITE EXTRAORDINARY. >> LOTS OF QUESTIONS UNFOLDING NOW. GENERAL HURTLING, HOW INCREDIBLE IS IT THAT THIS POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY ON THE ONE HAND AND

PRIGOZHIN AND HIS WAGNER TROOPS SPIRALLED THIS FAR? >> WOLF, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. WHAT’S FASCINATING, IN ALL ORGANIZATIONAL MILITARIES YOU HAVE UNIQUE PERSONALITIES. SOME WITH A LOT OF EGO. AS JILL MENTIONED, PRIGOZHIN IS NOT JUST A TIME BOMB, BUT HE’S A FREE-FLOATING ELECTRON. HE’S ALL OVER THE PLACE. WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT WITH PRIGOZHIN AND SCHOYGU, NEITHER ARE PROFESSIONAL MILITARY MEN. THEY HAVE NOT GROWN UP IN THE MILITARY. THEY’RE PLAY ACTING IN THIS. THEY HAVE NOT SUBJUGATED THEIR FORCES TO THE SECURITY OF RUSSIA. THEY HAVE FORCES THAT ARE PLEDGED TO THEM. IT’S PHENOMENAL. I WAS

THINKING AS I WAS WATCHING THE FILM, SOME OF WHICH YOU’RE SHOWING RIGHT NOW, THE SOLDIERS THAT ARE WALKING AROUND AS PART OF THE WAGNER GROUP UNDER PRIGOZHIN’S COMMAND, WHAT THE LEGISLATION THEY THINKING NOW? WHAT’S THEIR MISSION? WHAT’S THEIR MISSION SET? IT CERTAINLY NOT TO SERVE RUSSIA. IT’S TO SERVE THIS PERSONALITY. AND THE EGO IS OFF THE CHART. IT’S NARCISSISTIC. AND TRUTHFULLY, THERE ARE A LOT OF LOSERS FROM WHAT OCCURRED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS. THERE WILL BE CONTINUED LOSERS, AND I BELIEVE BOTH PUTIN, SHOYGU, AND PRIGOZHIN ARE ALL LOSERS IN THIS OUTCOME. >> YOU’RE AN

EXPERT IN THIS WHOLE AREA, DIMITRI. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I ABSOLUTELY AGREE. THE FACT THAT PRIGOZHIN’S ARMORED COLUMN WAS ABLE TO REACH 150 MILES OF MOSCOW WITHOUT THE COMBINED FORCES OF THE RUSSIAN MINUTESVIEW OF DEFENSE, FORCES OF THE SFB AND NATIONAL GUARD BEING ABLE TO STOP THEM IS REMARKABLE AND INDICATES HOW WEAK THE WHOLE SYSTEM HAS BECOME. I MEAN, THIS IS ALMOST — THEY’VE REACHED AS FAR AS HITLER DID IN 1941 RIGHT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MOSCOW. TRULY REMARKABLE, AND EVEN AFTER PUTIN HAD DECLARED THAT THESE TRADERS HAVE TO BE CRUSHED, THE RUSSIAN MILITARY

STILL WAS UNABLE TO STOP THEM. >> YOU THINK HE SHOULD, PRIGOZHIN, SHOULD FEAR FOR HIS LIFE RIGHT NOW? >> I THINK IT’S TOO EARLY TO SAY. THIS DEAL MAY VERY WELL HOLD. IN FACT, THE RIGHT WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM IN GENERAL IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO LIKE THE “GODFATHER” MOVIE, IT’S AS IF THE BARCINI CRIME FAMILY NEGOTIATED A DEAL BETWEEN VETO CORLEONI AND THE FAMILY. THESE ARE MAFIA FIGURES, AND SOMETIMES IN MAFIA GANGLAND SHOOTOUTS, WHA