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Transcript
00:00 The Kremlin showing that it was back to business as usual on Monday,
00:04 as Vladimir Putin met with security officials following an aborted mutiny over the weekend
00:09 that threatened the stability of the Russian government.
00:12 The president made a defiant televised address in which he accused the West of
00:17 instigating the rebellion while praising Russia for its unity.
00:21 This civil solidarity has shown that any blackmail,
00:26 any attempt to create internal turmoil is doomed to failure.
00:30 However, the organizers of the mutiny, betraying their country,
00:35 their people, betrayed those who were lured into the crime.
00:38 During his address, Putin never mentioned Yevgeny Progozhin,
00:44 the head of the Wagner mercenary group, by name.
00:47 Earlier in the day, Putin's allies rallied support with the foreign minister,
00:52 saying the rebellion led by Progozhin would not change Russia's relationships with its allies,
00:58 while the prime minister urged the cabinet to unite behind the president.
01:02 We need to act together as one team, maintain the unity of all forces by lining up behind
01:09 the president, take calculated joint decisions to implement tasks given by the head of state.
01:14 Despite the Kremlin seeking to draw a line under the actions over the weekend,
01:21 analysts say the whole episode is an embarrassment for Putin and has left him exposed.
01:26 The vulnerability has been demonstrated, but at the same time, I think everyone in Russia
01:31 looked over the abyss and saw that whoever toppled him couldn't guarantee their own safety.
01:37 And so, in a system where he is the arbiter between some fairly vicious competing factions,
01:42 this actually may strengthen his security in some ways, because he's seen as
01:46 the indispensable guarantor of the safety of whoever might want to replace him.
01:50 This is the biggest challenge to his leadership that Putin has faced
01:56 during his more than two decades in power.

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