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Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing the war in Ukraine and has become "a
bit of a pariah around the world," President Joe Biden said Wednesday.

Biden said it is "hard to tell" how much Putin has been weakened by Yevgeny
Prigozhin's ambitious but ill-fated coup attempt. Some experts, however, say
last week's chaotic insurgency stands as the greatest challenge yet to almost a
quarter-century of Putin's authoritarian rule.

Mary Kate Schneider, director of global studies at Loyola University Maryland,
told USA TODAY that even in failure, Prigozhin's coup attempt constitutes the
single greatest challenge to Putin's authority in his 23-year reign. Prigozhin
revealed "fissures in Putin's armor" that can be exploited by other challengers,
she said. And Prigozhin's warm reception during his brief march could encourage
those dissenters.




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"It doesn't matter that Prigozhin and his soldiers did not reach Moscow, and in
the long run it doesn't even matter why he stopped short of Moscow," Schneider
said. "What matters is that Putin blinked."

Zev Faintuch, senior intelligence analyst at Global Guardian − an international
security firm with boots on the ground in Ukraine − said Putin's "monopoly on
violence in Russia is over." Putin's power, Faintuch said, was derived from his
ability to control the "underbosses" of Russia.

"What is clear is that we are now witnessing the final act of Putin's reign, and
possibly even that of the modern Russian state," Faintuch told USA TODAY. "We’ve
all seen gangster movies when the don shows weakness, and we all know what
happens next. That said, it is still far too soon to predict Putin's imminent
fall."

Developments:

∎ Ukrainian forces advanced almost a mile in various sectors of the front line
Tuesday, Ukrainian Eastern Command spokesperson Serhii Cherevatyi said.
Ukrainian authorities claim they have taken back more than half the land seized
by Russia in the early months of the war.

∎ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday he has called a meeting
of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden, and Finland on July 6 to try to
overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military alliance.

∎ Lithuania will send 10 more armored vehicles to Ukraine, bringing the total to
72, Lithuania's Defense Minister Avrydas Anusauskas announced.

∎ Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Russian
occupying forces in Kherson province have turned impounded buildings into
warehouses for looted goods and locations to dismantle stolen cars to sell their
parts in Russia.




Attack on restaurant: 4 dead, 47 injured after Russian missiles hit busy
Ukrainian pizza restaurant




ARREST MADE IN DEADLY RUSSIAN MISSILE ATTACK ON RESTAURANT

Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday they have detained an agent linked to the
missile attack that killed at least 11 people and wounded at least 61 others in
a crowded pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Vasyl Maliuk, head
of the Secret Service of Ukraine, issued a statement saying the agent was a
spotter who informed Russia about the crowds at the restaurant and "adjusted the
enemy’s missile strike."




President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the agent faces treason charges. "The
possible punishment is life imprisonment,'' Zelenskyy said in his nightly video
address. "Accomplices of a terrorist state must be treated as betrayers of
humanity.''

The dead included 14-year-old sisters, the city council said on Telegram.
Zelenskyy initially said Russia "brutally attacked Kramatorsk with S-300
missiles," which were designed for anti-aircraft defense and have been
repurposed to attack land targets in Ukraine, but the National Police later said
Iskander short-range ballistic missiles were used.

As it has throughout the war against mounting evidence, the Kremlin denied
striking civilian targets.




WSJ: PRIGOZHIN HOPED TO CAPTURE RUSSIAN MILITARY LEADERS

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed Western officials, reported Wednesday
that Prigozhin had planned to seize high-ranking Russian military leaders but
that he was forced to accelerate his plans after the country’s domestic
intelligence agency became aware of the plot. The "premature launch" of the
insurrection may have led to its demise, the Journal said.



Prigozhin had intended to capture Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery
Gerasimov, chief of Russia’s general staff, during a planned visit to a southern
region that borders Ukraine, the Journal reported. But Russia's Federal Security
Service, or FSB, found out about the plan two days before it was to be executed,
the officials said. Gen. Viktor Zolotov, commander of the National Guard of
Russia, also said authorities knew about Prigozhin’s intentions before he
launched his attempt.

The Western sources told the Journal it appeared Prigozhin hoped to draw support
from factions of the Russian military. The ease with which Wagner’s troops
pushed forward in the early hours of the coup suggests that some regular forces
commanders could have been part of the plot, according to Western intelligence.

Those military leaders may have included a senior general who had been the top
Russian commander in Ukraine and other lower-ranked generals, the New York Times
reported, citing U.S. officials. The newspaper said the senior general, Sergei
Surovikin, knew about the plot ahead of time, but it's not clear whether he
supported it. The Times also said Surovikin has not been seen publicly since
Saturday.




UKRAINE EXPECTS GUARANTEE TO JOIN NATO

Ukraine has met the three key prerequisites for NATO membership and deserves a
guaranteed invite to join the military alliance when the war with Russia ends,
Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday. Reznikov told The
Guardian that Ukraine has proved it can function with NATO forces, has a
transparent procurement system and has civilian control of the military.
Reznikov said it is in the alliance's interest to fortify its eastern flank −
and that NATO should issue a membership guarantee at its meeting next month in
Lithuania.

"Ukraine is already serving as a protective shield for NATO’s eastern European
members," Reznikov said. "If this shield cracks, the next victims of Russian
aggression could be the Baltic states, Poland, Hungary or Slovakia."




IS PUTIN TRYING TO DESTROY COUP LEADER PRIGOZHIN?

Putin apparently is trying to present Prigozhin as corrupt and a liar to destroy
his reputation among his Wagner Group personnel and within Russian society, a
Washington-based think tank says in its latest assessment of the war. The
Kremlin has pledged not to charge Prigozhin with crimes related to the coup. But
Putin in recent days has implied that Prigozhin lied when he complained about
lack of state compensation for Wagner and that Prigozhin had made a fortune off
his military-related Concord Company.

"Putin’s insinuation that the Kremlin will investigate the Concord Company may
be preparation to justify the Kremlin’s confiscation of Prigozhin’s assets via
corruption charges," the Institute for the Study of War assessment says, adding
that "Putin has likely decided that he cannot directly eliminate Prigozhin
without making him a martyr at this time."




PUTIN CONVINCED HE CAN OUTLAST UKRAINE AND ITS ALLIES, BLINKEN SAYS

A peace envoy sent by Pope Francis was scheduled to meet with a Putin aide
Wednesday, less than two weeks after a delegation of African leaders came away
empty-handed in their attempt to mediate an end to the war.

The pope's representative, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, may not be any more
successful if U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is right in his assessment
of Putin's strategy.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, Blinken said the biggest obstacle
to peace talks is Putin's belief that he can outlast Ukraine and the countries
supporting its resistance.

“The more we are able to disabuse him of that notion, the more likely it is that
at some point he’ll come to the table,” Blinken said.




SWISS BLOCK TRANSFER OF 96 LEOPARD TANKS BOUND FOR UKRAINE

The Swiss government, citing neutrality laws, shut down a plan Wednesday to ship
almost 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. The tanks are stored in Italy in
"unserviceable condition" but were designated for transport to Germany before
being sent to Ukraine as military aid. Switzerland's Federal Council issued a
statement saying it "came to the conclusion that the sale of 96 tanks is not
possible" because it would contradict the law on military equipment. Earlier
this month, Switzerland's National Assembly approved the sale of tanks despite
strict export restrictions on weaponry.

Last week, Switzerland announced a humanitarian aid package worth more than $1.3
million for demining activities in Ukraine.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers


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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Final act of Putin's reign':
Details of chaotic Russian coup emerging. Live updates




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ALLEN, Texas (AP) — Police released video footage on Wednesday of an officer
killing a neo-Nazi gunman, quickly ending a mass shooting that left eight people
dead and seven others wounded at a Dallas-area shopping mall.



The edited five-and-a-half-minute video details the final moments of Mauricio
Garcia, 33, after he unleashed a rain of bullets from an AR-15-style rifle at
the Allen Premium Outlets on May 6.



Those killed included three members of a Korean American family including a
3-year-old child, two young sisters, a security guard and an engineer from
India.

Police haven't revealed a motive for the attack.

The shooting came in a year that has seen an unprecedented pace of mass
killings.

The footage from a body camera worn by an Allen police officer starts off with
the officer telling two children outside the mall to wear their seatbelts and be
good.

Moments later, the sound of rapid gunfire erupts from the mall. The children and
a woman with them run away as the officer radios in the report, grabs his rifle
from his car and dashes toward the gunfire, the body camera footage shows.

As he runs, the panting officer shouts at people to move and get out. At one
point, he tells the dispatcher, “I believe we've got a mass shooter” and shouts
at the gunman to drop his weapon.

"I'm passing injured (people)," he adds.




The officer continues to run through the outside galleries of the outlet as the
sound of gunfire bursts continues. About four minutes into the video, the
officer opens fire with at least a half-dozen shots.



An instant later, the officer shouts: "Drop the gun!" and then reports: "I've
got him down!"

Another officer then confirms the gunman is dead.

The video ends with the two officers standing next to the gunman's body, which
is blurred out.

The video was released a day after a grand jury cleared the officer of
wrongdoing, indicating that “the use of force was justified under Texas law,”
according to a police statement.

In the statement, Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey praised the officer.

“This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into
a life-and-death situation,” Harvey said. “The officer recognized the danger,
ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat — and for his actions, the
Allen community is forever grateful.”



Three members of a Korean American family were killed: Kyu Song Cho, 37; Cindy
Cho, 35; and their 3-year-old son, James Cho. Their 6-year-old son was wounded.

Also killed were Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27; sisters Daniela Mendoza, 11, and
Sofia Mendoza, 8; security guard Christian LaCour, 20; and Elio Cumana-Rivas,
32.

Garcia used one of eight legally purchased guns he had brought to the mall,
authorities said.

The killer had no criminal record. An Army official told The Associated Press
that Garcia failed to complete basic training about 15 years earlier and was
kicked out for mental health reasons. The official spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Garcia left a long trail of online posts describing his white supremacist and
misogynistic views. He described mass shootings as sport and posted photos
showing his large Nazi tattoos and a favorite passage in the “Hunger Games”
books marked with a swastika drawn in green highlighter.

He was Latino, and he posted one cartoon image showing a Latino child at a fork
in a road, with one direction labeled “act black” and the other, “become a white
supremacist.”

“I think I’ll take my chances with the white supremacist,” he wrote.




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