it is because racism is so difficult to point one's finger at to name, to quantify here in france, that it has been so difficult to fight. that is really what's fuelling the anger you are seeing. the question is whether this is -- will be a repeat scenario of 2005 when it had taken months in the wake of the deaths of two young men as they fled a police check in similar neighborhoods, similar ages. it took an entire summer to get to the end of the violence that erupted across the streets of france. the question is tonight whether the death will mark the beginning of another summer of anger on the streets of france. >> melissa bell, thank you. live from ukraine, cnn exclusive new reporting

documents showing a top russian general was a secret vip member of evgenyevgeny prigozhin's pri army. these new documents, as there are new questions about where the general and prigozhin are tonight. mike pence making a surprise trip here to ukraine while he is going against so many in his own party whether it comes to the war. pence is "outfront" tonight. the supreme court decision that has the obamas speaking out forcefully tonight. let's go k"outfront." i'm erin burnett live in key et tonight. a top secret p member. new documents showing a top rurj shan general is a vip member of the wagner group. a top putin inner circle member listed as a member of yevgeny

prigozhin's personal army, same army that marched against putin. it is a major development. guess what? there's more. in these documents, obtained exclusively here, there are 30 other senior russian military officials action wagner members. these are significant revelations if true. raising more questions, specifically now, about what role the general played in the attempted coup attempt against putin. "the new york times" reporting he was aware of prigozhin's attempted coup. that obviously could be very important in the developments. it comes in the context of a much feared putin purge and whether this is unfolding. the general has not been heard from, seen since saturday morning. hours after the insurrection began. the financial times and other outlets are reporting that he has been arrested. we haven't been able to independently verify those specific reports.

but listen to a woman who claims to be his daughter, on the phone. >> translator: honestly, nothing has happened to him. he is at his workplace. when has he ever been in the media every day. he never makes daily statements. from what i understand, everything is proceeding as usual. everyone is at their workplaces and everything is fine. >> everybody is at their work faces, everything is fine. nothing to see here. there's something to see. the reality is, there's a lot of things we aren't seeing. a lot of people we aren't seeing. he is missing and he is not the only one. prigozhin as another example has not been seen since saturday. he reached a deal to call off his rebellion and go to belarus. since then, two planes linked to him have crisscrossed russia flying to belarus where it is

said prigozhin is. it's unclear if prigozhin was on either one of those planes. not making it clear he is abiding by any deal he made with putin. it's not clear where prigozhin is. what is clear is that russia bant wants the world to believe it's business as usual, nothing to see, everyone is at their workplaces. the russian president appearing in public again attending a technology fair in moscow where he was seen joking to others attending. at one point putin was asked to draw on a magic wall. i want to show you this.

[ applause ] this is so odd to take the amount of time do that and then signing his name. a round of applause for putin with that i suppose se self-portrait. earlier, i spoke to the former vice president mike pence. he made a surprise trip to kyiv. his answer to this question is sobering. you mentioned putin. of course you have met him. you dealt with him when you were vice president. do you think he has full command of his military right now? >> i think it's an open question. >> an open question. more of my interview with the former vice president ahead. first, so many developments to get to. i want to start with matthew chance. he is in moscow. nick paton walsh joins me in

kyiv. matthew, let me start with you. you have obtained exclusive new documents. it's incredible to look at them. they list the general as a vip member of wagner group. tell us about this. >> reporter: yeah. it's really interesting, isn't it? it was well-known that the general has had close relations with the wagner mercenary group over the past several years, working closely with them in ukraine. earlier than that, working with them in syria as well where they have been engaged in russian military operations alongside the russian military. what's new tonight is this new evidence that suggests that this prominent russian commander was much, much closer to wagner than previously knowniss the last tie

just how close is only now becoming clear. documents shared exclusive sly with cnn suggest he was since 2018 a secret vip member of the group, with a personal wagner registration number. the documents obtained by the russian investigative dossier center lists him along with at least 30 other senior russian narlry and intelligence officials that they say are also

vip wagner members. wagner hasn't answered cnn's request for a response. it's unclear what vip membership entails, if there's any financial benefit. it does imply an overly close relationship between the russian military and the mercenaries they failed to prevent from staging a military uprising at the weekend. even allowing wagner fighters to take over an entire russian city with virtually no resistance. it all raises suspicions in the kremlin of divided loyalty. the general, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is one of

russia's most capable, highly decorated commanders. what's unclear is if the kremlin still trusts him. erin, the kremlin tonight is still refusing to comment on where the general might be. the ombudsman for prison flz moscow has come out with a denial that the general is in any of the facilities, any of the prisons, jails inside moscow, inside the capital city. that only further deepens the mystery of where and why this prominent russian commander has vanished. erin? >> it is incredible. the murkiness, opaqueness, at this moment in time. thank you so much, matthew, from moscow. nick paton walsh is here with me in kyiv. we don't know where prigozhin is. we don't know where the general

is. by the way, there's a lot of other people blurred out on those documents matthew exclusively obtained. there's a lot more we don't know that could impact things. it all could have serious implications for this war. >> absolutely. first prigozhin, deeply importance. he is supposed to be in belarus. he launched a rebellion and being in belarus is part of him stepping to one side. we don't know the full fate of his wagner group. the suggestion is they are fighting. that's utterly key in terms of putin feeling safe. it will have an impact on the war eventually to see this extraordinary level of in-fighting. the leaks of vip membership, we don't know what it entails. certainly, with that list coming out, that's going to leave a lot of people exceptionally edgy to have that information.

the general, unclear his fate. all he has to do is pop out briefly and say, i'm fine, and shut this down. the suspicion will hang for good. it's unlikely putin would imagine this time of utter p paranoia will trust him. where is the rest of the top staff? sometimes these guys vanish for days. it's not a good time to not have unity together. >> right. certainly shows you who you can't trust. this is about trust. nick, thank you very much. i want to go to a top russian reporter. knows more than almost anyone about what's happening at the kremlin. he is a former editor and chief of the independent outlet tv which putin shut down. he has written books on put. >> announcer: russia, including the fourth book. max sedin is with me.

incredible reporting. the retired army u.s. commander, colonel hertling. max, your new reporting. i know you have some new information about when putin found out about the coup and what he is doing now. the when is actually really fascinating. tell us. >> this is the thing about prigozhin. it has not come out of the blue for russian officials. one of putin's closest allies said on tuesday that they have at least a few days warning. it's not so much whether he was aware or not because my understanding it was pretty widely known within the security establishment. the issue is that they completely failed to anticipate how far prigozhin would go. that is a really embarrassing moment for russia. they were allowed to seize an

army command center and march unimpeded, kill at least a dozen russian servicemen and get away with it scott free. given that they knew that he was up to something and had several weeks to know that he was angry after they essentially shut wagner down, that shows you the catastrophic failure on the russian part. >> has putin realized at this point how big of a threat this was to him? >> we definitely know that he was warned about the upcoming mutiny. according to my sources, he was regularly warned by his security apparatus and by different people. all the time during all the previous months he was refusing to believe that something could

happen, because actually, wagner group is not kind of russian al qaeda. wagner group is very trusted private military unit that actually was financed by russian state. at the same time, as far as we know, he was not -- he is not really concerned, even on last saturday, he was not really nervous about what was happening, because as we know, he has left moscow on the same day, about 6:00 p.m. he left for a party. he was partying at a luxurious yacht of his ally, because there was a huge holiday for high school graders students that day in st. petersburg. putin is not really, as far as we know, in touch with reality.

>> it's amazing, a high school graduation party, which would show a lack of connection with reality. general, you have met general grasimov. we haven't seen him either. another person who is currently missing in action. obviously, he is supposedly running the war. how hard will it be to continue to command a war of this magnitude while all of this uncertainty is going on? fear of reprisals. fear of arrest or worse. >> yeah. what i would say is i did meet him on one occasion. what i would tell you is, he is the chief of the general staff. putin put him in charge of the operation in ukraine in january. over a man who failed in some of his missions. you have a guy demoted. the chief of the general staff,

equivalent to the chairman of the joint chiefs, should be in moscow giving support to the president, is now on the front lines. it's a bizarre situation to have that relationship. i'm watching to see what happens to him, who has been in office since 2012, as the chief of the general staff. i met him when he was the commander of the russian -- the central military district, a much exhausted position. but it wasn't the chief of the staff. truthfully, it's bizarre that he is on the front line. all of these things are fascinating. the kind of rumors going around about some of the interestmedia that are on the back burner, it will affect the war effort. >> which is incredible to think. the foreign minister told me the absolutely unexpected. the black swan in some senses.

max, what are you learning about the general right now? what's likely happening to him. is he being interrogated? what? >> we reported today that the general was detained following the coup. we don't floknow if he was arrested. it could be he was held for questioning. there's nothing to indicate that he has been in prison. he might be released. we don't know. what we know is this is the start of a big attempt by putin and his most loyal security services to find who was responsible for these disastrous failures that allowed this to happen and to try to do something about it. it is just a colossal failure on putin's part. this was a guy who was basically going around for months saying that he was going to do this with his private army that putin let them have and completely

financed. it was all happening because he was personally loyal to putin. he was allowed to publically clash with the defense ministry and undermine authority. putin let him do that. putin is acting surprises. he thought he could control him because he was so dependent. now he dbetrayed him. >> it's interesting and amazing how this comes down to trust, betrayal and the emotional realities. thank you very much. next, ukraine launching emergency drills. for what we understand or what they say is an approved plan by putin to attack europe's biggest nuclear power plant, which is here. is putin desperate enough to actually pull the trigger on that approved plan? vice president mike pence makes a surprise visit here to ukraine. do you think it's possible that

prigozhin had inside help from key members of putin's inner circle? >> i just wouldn't doubt it. another story tonight, the supreme court gutting affirmative action in college admissions. overturning a ruling. this has been 45 years of a policy. it will be felt across the united states. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for r what you need. check it out, you coululd save $700 dollars just by switching. ooooooh, i'll look into that. let me put a reminder on my phone. save $700 dollars. pick up dad from airport? ohhhhhh. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

welcome back to a special

edition of "outfront." we are live in coup he have. ukraine launching emergency response exercises to prepare for a possible terrorist attack at the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. it's the largest nuclear plant in all of europe. it's an attack that would impact the world. this comes just days after ukraine's military intelligence chief said that plans for an attack on the plant have been both drafted and approved. the former defense secretary mark esper. you see preparations by ukraine. you hear the military intelligence chief saying plans for the attack have been drafted and approved. these aren't general words. these are specific words. what does that make you think? how real is this threat? >> it's hard to tell. we have heard these threats, these possibilities for many, many months now about

zaporizhzhia being bombed or sab sabotaged. i assume it would have a tactical affect if ukraine gained ground. i don't see how it benefits russia. whatever fallout radioactive from the plant destroyed, the reactors exposed, would drift across russia and the parts of ukraine that are being defended now by pro-russian ukrainians. i think it would be a terrible strategic impact for russia itself, let alone the rest of the world as that would blow around -- continue to blow eastward. >> you know, i know the foreign minister told me putin loves life and those around him love life more, which was the most significant part of his statement. you are at a point where putin's power may be under threat from within. the whole question has been that if he has nothing to lose in

terms his own ability to remain the leader of the russia, that's when he might do something. are you worried we could be at a point like that and that we might not realize we're at that point because what's happening in moscow right now is so opaque? >> you are right. you don't know what you don't know when you don't know it. there's so much happening in moscow that further confuses the situation. i don't think tactically on the battlefield of ukraine that he is in that position yet, that he might consider more extreme measures. blowing up the dam downstream made some sense tactically. it made the ground in southern ukraine impassable for ukrainian forces. in this case with attacking, destroying, blowing up a reactor at zaporizhzhia, i don't see the tactical game it has. i think it creates more strategic and political problems for vladimir putin.

there's other thing s he could do. doesn't mean we shouldn't dismiss it or be prepared. but it seemed unlikely. >> i want to ask you about matthew chance's exclusive reporting. those are the documents he obtained that they blur out 29 names or at least 30 other names. the name that we can see is a crucial one that he has, that russian general suroviki fln wa secret vip member of the wagner group. the contempt of -- the context that he has advanced notice of prigozhin rebellion. how involved was surovikin? he is the person in charge of running the war here in ukraine. >> first of all, we don't know what this list is about. it could be some honorary thing

that has no bearing, no weight whatsoever. it could be an oath, if you will, that replaces surovikin's oath to russia and putin. we don't know about that. i have been saying for a few days now when it was first happened that i doubt that prigozhin made this move on his own. i suspect he thought others were going to be with him. when the time came on that saturday when his forces began moving to moscow, he realized that that support wasn't going to materialize, whether it was from the russian military or people in other parts of the security apparatus. it didn't materialize, which is why he took belarus. who was supporting him? he and surovikin go back to syria together. they respected one another on the battlefield. they were supported by the hard right in russia, which is another political dynamic that putin has to be concerned about as he makes his way through the next few days. >> secretary, i appreciate your time. thank you very much.

>> thank you, erin. next, we are learning the biden administration could now be on the verge of sending controversial cluster munitions to ukraine. it would be a very significant development. it comes as former vice president mike pence tells me that ukraine is making advances on the battlefield. he supports the long range missiles being send here now. that's next. 40 years of precedent gone. the supreme court rejecting affirmative action at american colleges. michelle and barack obama are speaking out tonight.

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welcome back to this special edition of "outfront" live in kyiv. the biden administration is strongly considering giving deadly cluster munition warheads to ukraine. these are weapons banned by more than 100 countries, not by the united states though. russia has been using them with devastating affect in ukraine. we will show you some explosions hitting a civilian area in kharkiv when they obviously hit a civilian area. it spreads out. that's the design.

they scatter dozens of bombs. that would be useful in striking russian troop areas. the russians used them against civilians ve s civilians. sources tell us that u.s. officials are looking at this seriously as ukraine is struggling to make major gains in its counteroffensive. the former vice president and 2024 gop candidate mike pence made a surprise visit here to kyiv vowing to stand with ukraine until victory is achieved. he was passionate about this. he was unequivocal. i spoke with him earlier today. mr. vice president, it's so nice to see you here in kyiv. i know you met with president zelenskyy today. you were in bucha. your fellow republican presidential candidates are in early primary states. they are holding fund-raisers. why does it matter to you to be here? >> america is the leader of the free world. we are the arsenal of democracy.

from the very moment that russia engaged in this unprovoked act of aggression, invading a neighboring country, i have strongly supported american efforts to give the ukrainian fighters what they need to fight and win. i must tell you, traveling across those battlefields today, meeting with soldiers, meeting with families, meeting with president zelenskyy, and then seeing the division we are seeing in russia over the last week, i'm more convinced than ever that the support that the american people have provided the free world has provided is making it possible for ukraine to reclaim their sovereignty, reclaim their territory. and do a great service to peace in the world. i think that repelling russian aggression is not just in the interest of people here in kyiv and in ukraine. i think it's in our national

interest. >> america's? >> i think it's in the interest of the united states of america and free countries around the world. by giving ukraine what they need to repel the russian invasion, we're not only going to send a message to russia that there are efforts to redraw intder national laws by force will not be tolerated but other nations like china that's continuing to engage in menacing military actions across the asia pacific will get the message that the free world will stand together and precisely as we have done here and watching the courageous fighters here in ukraine today, it's been inspiring. >> we returned from the front lines in southern ukraine. we saw the troops living kem flojed in the woods. every woods and a farm field. they are living there full-time. they are dealing with fields littered with mines. grenades where they are tiny wires that no one would see littering the woods.

do you see an end in sight to a war like this? >> i do. when i met with president zelenskyy today, he said that after a slow start this spring, largely owing to a very rainy season, that they have been seeing in recent weeks a steady advance against those russian lines. i have to tell you, remember, wars are fought with soldiers, with munitions, and with morale. what i'm sure you saw on the front line today and what i witnessed talking not only to the leadership of the country but to rank and file soldiers was a genuine spirit. they see the progress. they see the fight they put up. it's amazing to think, erin, russia went from having the second most powerful military in the world to having the second most powerful military in ukraine. ukraine fighters have demonstrated their toughness.

equipped so well by the united states and other allies that we marshalled 50 countries around the world. i think the morale here in ukraine, the progress from president zelenskyy today, and the division that we are seeing of the leader of the wagner group literally marching on moscow and being exiled to belarus and vladimir putin flying troops from those front lines back to moscow to reinforce, that's what happens when you engage in an unprovoked act of naked aggression against your neighbor. innocent lives are lost. your soldiers' lives are lost. you sow division in your country. that's what's happening in russia. the morale will carry them to victory. >> you mentioned putin. you have met him. do you think he has full command of his military? >> i think it's an open question. it is. the wagner group is a specialty

group. we have some family with them. american forces encountered the wagner group in syria back in 2018 when they moved against our forces. after being warned multiple times, the order was given. we took them out without one american casualty. they are understood to be some of the most elite forces in russia. now they have been disbursed. they are being invited back into the military. i did hear today that they are de-camping in belarus along with their leader who is now in exile. i must just tell you that we don't know what we don't know. about what's happening in russia. that's always true about russia and about vladimir putin. what i do know being here in ukraine today is the resolve of ukrainians from president zelenskyy down to that mother that i met whose home had been rebuilt. she was there when the rockets landed. she lost a nephew in the attack.

she never left. she rebuilt her home. she and the ukrainian people are fighting for their freedom and with the support of the free world with america as the leader of the free world, i know they can win. >> there are a lot of reports -- we don't know what we don't know about what's going on in moscow. but we don't know. there are reports about top circle inner circle members knew and did regarding prigozhin's attempted rebellion. do you think it's possible that prigozhin had inside help from key members of putin's inner circle? >> i just wouldn't doubt it. i wouldn't know. i mean, look, to hear the way prigozhin is speaking about this and talking about how the children of the elites in moscow are putting cream on their face while the sons of the people are dying in ukraine, suggests to me that something is afoot in russia that sees there not only was this an unjustified war --

whether vladimir putin launched this invasion he said it would be over in a week. he underestimated the ukrainian military. he underestimated the recesolvef the free world. i have to believe that there are good and decent people among the populous in russia who are getting fed up with this failed invasion, with the loss of life. my hope is that that's actually reached all the way into the highest levels of government as well. >> to that point, the foreign minister in ukraine told me -- his quote was, prigozhin is just the who dared. i have tho no doubts others wil follow. do you think that's what the u.s. should be prepared for? >> the united states should continue to be prepared to provide the courageous military here in ukraine with the resources they need to fight and win. i will say to you, erin, while i

strongly support american involvement here, i heard again today frustration about how slow the biden administration has been in providing that military support. 33 abrams tanks were pledged in january. now they are being told they won't be here until september. they have authorized allowing people to be trained in f-16s. but the united states continues to hold back on allowing -- >> the foreign minister said he doesn't think they will get them until the beginning of next year. >> what good does that do? >> the aid needs to come faster? >> i want to say very sincerely, president biden said in his last state of the union address, that we are there as long as it takes. it shouldn't take that long. we're the most powerful nation on earth. we have the most powerful military on earth. we should be providing them with tanks, with missiles, with air

aircraft. what the soldiers proved -- the soldiers you saw, you give member the means to fight, they will fight the russians and win a victory not just for ukraine but they will win a victory for the free world and america and nations across the globe will be more secure as a result. >> you are clear on f-16s, where you stand. sooner rather than later. you mentioned missiles, atacms, number one on the wish list. that should be now? >> i do. i heard about the need for more mortar shells. not getting into the technical part of it, but they need more ammunition. i think it's imperative we continue to provide that. we should never send american forces into this fight. the war here in ukraine is not our war. freedom is our fight. since the reagan administration, america has taken the position, if you are willing to fight america's enemies on your soil, we will give you the means to fight them there so we don't have to tight them. that's what this is about from the beginning. there's debate both in my party

and around the country about american involvement here. i really believe that the majority of the american people understand that we are the leader of the free world. standing for freedom and supporting those who are standing for freedom is the american caught. >> in the context of the election and your race for the white house. we have obtained the audiotape of former president donald trump talking about classified documents found at mar-a-lago this week. >> this wins my case. it is highly confidential, secret. this is secret information. i could have declassified it. now i can't. >> this tape relates to just one of the allegations in the indictment. it says trump not only obstructed but also disseminated classified information. are you comfortable with his

behavior as you know it, as you hear it on that tape? >> what i can tell you is that handling classified material is a very serious matter. the allegations in the indictment against the former president are serious. he does deserve his day in court. >> yes. >> this shouldn't be litigated in media. it should be litigated in a court of law. i want to let that process work out. everybody is entitled to a presumption of innocence. we will stand on that presumption of innocence. i don't want to did i bminish t seriousness of the allegations. >> thank you very much for your time here in kyiv. >> thank you, erin. good to see you here. next, putin the rock star. at least that's how state media is portraying the russian president as he tries to reassert his strong man image

inside russia after taking a hit. we have more in a special report. wait until you see when you put this together. another story we have been following tonight. that is the supreme court ruling colleges can no longer exp explicitly consider an applicant's race when it comes to admissions in the united states. ♪ let me take a look at the numbers for youou. ♪

welcome back to a special

edition of "outfront." our other big story is the huge decision by the supreme court to essentially gut affirmative action in college admissions. the conservative majority saying that it is unconstitutional for colleges and universities to take race into consideration as a specific basis for granting admission to students. athena jones is "outfront." >> reporter: affirmative action as we know it is no more. >> today's victory transcends far beyond those of us sitting in this room today. it belongs to thousands of sleepless high schoolers applying to colleges. >> we will comply with the court's decision, but it does not change our values. >> reporter: reversing decades of precedent, the u.s. supreme court ruling colleges and universities can no longer take race into account for granting admission. in a 6-3 decision, john roberts

saying admission programs at harvard and the university of north carolina violate the equal protection clause of the constitution because they fail to offer measurable objects it justify the use of race. u involve racial stereotyping and lack meaningful end points. it suggests how an applicant's life has been affected by race can be considered. justice justice clarence thomas writing a concurring opinion. even in the south where i grew up, individuals were not the sum of their skin color. but an attorney for unc students who argued in defense of affirmative action stressing that colleges that still want to consider race now face a challenge. >> it's going to be much more difficult to try and demonstrate your lawful program if you do consider race. >> reporter: students for fair admissions, the conservative group behind both challenges, applauded the ruling. >> the opinion issued today by

the united states supreme court marks the beginning of the restoration of the color-blind legal covenant that binds together our multiracial, multi-ethnic nation. >> reporter: critics argue it will hurt black and latino enrollment, and roll back decades of progress. justice sonia sotomayor joined in her been by ketanji brown jackson and elena kagan blasting the decision as an indefensible reading of the constitution that is not grounded in law. jackson joining the majority opinion ignores america's past and present, writing deeming race irrelevant in law does knott make it so in life. vice president kamala harris calling it a step backward for our nation. former president barack obama also weighing in, saying now it's up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives. >> it was disheartening to see.

>> i benefitted from affirmative action. >> reporter: a major decision sparking outrage and questions about its impact. >> we live in such a racialized society. like that is not an argument. no argument can be made against that. my race is not, you know, something i tack on and take off like a shirt. it's me. it's by identity. >> reporter: and we should note today's decision exempts u.s. military academies from this ban on race conscious admissions, something that justice jackson showed an interest in preserving racial diversity for the bunker, but not for the birthday room. erin? >> athena, thank you very much. a momentous day. and next, the way putin wants the world to view him, right? the strong man. but after the insurrection, see what's happening. it's pretty amazing. they're trying to rebuild his reputation. we're going show you how.

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more shopping? you should watch your spending honey. i'm saving with liberty mutual, mom. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. check it out, you could save $700 dollars just by switching. ooooh, i'll look into that. let me put a reminder on my phone. save $700 dollars. pick up dad from airport? ohhhhhh. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ welcome back to "outfront." we are live in kyiv here in ukraine. russia's state media tonight going to great lengths to try to promote putin, comparing him to a rock star, yep, literally,

just days after facing the biggest threat ever to his presidency. >> reporter: screaming, squealing, applause, literally pleads for photos with him. the president was greeted in such a way that even rock stars have nothing on him. >> rock stars. nick paton walsh is "outfront" with more on how putin is trying to reassert that macho image he is so known for inside russia. >> reporter: what's a strong man when he is no long they're strong, just a guy on a horse who needs a shirt. we've been so accustomed of these images of vladimir putin as some sort of superman, manipulating the known world in a genius game of five dimensional chess, and wrestling his opponents to the mat intellectually. now the world is coming to terms with a completely new concept, a weak putin, who seems almost to play the clown, here today at a

trade fair, making a sketch, living in a parallel reality from the near collapse of the weekend. while the weekend's armed rebellion by his former confidante prigozhin failed, it had one catastrophic success, bursting the bubble of putin's impressionability. the kremlin head didn't even appear in public for two and a half day, popping up only outside the kremlin tuesday, to deliver a surreal thank you to the military who stepped back and let wagner march on moscow. putin is now in a place he's never been before, hunting for traitors in his inner circle. he is said to have isolated himself so much during the pandemic, keeping visitors at distance, that perhaps he no longer can find his way back down the table to reality. the moscow elites gentle bubble of assured autocracy has also been burst. it is place where riches were earned through unquestioning

loyalty. but now after the ukrainian invasion, contends with drones attacking luxury suburbs, and even the kremlin. none of this was meant to happen. none of this is what putin sold russia. and none of this can be easily answered bay strong man who no longer seems strong. now you can see there how putin is clearly still at the task of trying to remind popular how popular he is with those remarkable displays. but you have to also ask yourself how quickly is he dealing with working out frankly what do to do with prigozhin and even where he is and whether there is genuine resistance inside his military. >> a fear he will now live with the paranoia. nick, thank you very much. we end the show this evening in kyiv. this morning, though, we woke up in dnipro in eastern ukraine. and we saw this. how many of you see something similar on any given day? preschoolers going on a walk.

but these preschoolers heard this last night. [ siren ] you know, a warning, in that particular case of ballistic missiles in the middle of the night. the air force advice that came with it, do not ignore the alarm, take shelter. and then more warnings of drone attacks. every single night. and missiles hit these kids' hometown. and they are now too young to know any other way of life. many children here in kyiv sleep in apartment buildings so they don't need to wake them up and move them to shelters. we couldn't stop thinking about their small little sleeping bodies as we stayed up through the night for our broadcasts. we looked out on this, an absolute pitch darkness. just not a pitch darkness that you want at night, peace and rest and comfort. it was one of worry and waiting and in som