WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – Russian President Vladimir Putin was misled by advisers who had been too scared to inform him how poorly the conflict in Ukraine goes and the way damaging Western sanctions have been, a US official stated on Wednesday (March 30), citing declassified intelligence.
Russia’s Feb 24 invasion of its southern neighbour has been halted on most fronts by stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces who’ve recaptured territory whilst civilians are trapped in besieged cities.
“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military,” main him to distrust the navy management, the US official stated, talking on situation of anonymity.
“Putin didn’t even know his military was using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president,” the official stated.
The official didn’t present the intelligence report, however stated the data had been declassified.
Military analysts say Russia has reframed its conflict objectives in Ukraine in a method which will make it simpler for Mr Putin to say a face-saving victory regardless of a woeful marketing campaign through which his military has suffered humiliating setbacks.
Russian forces bombarded the capital Kyiv and northern Chernihiv on Wednesday, a day after Russia promised to scale down navy operations in each cities.
“We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions, because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” the official stated.
Russia says it’s finishing up a “special operation” to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour. Western nations say Moscow launched an unprovoked invasion.
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