Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misled by advisers about how badly his own war is going, a US defense official said Wednesday.
The fighting strongman is being lied to by his inner circle about everything from military casualties to the economy, an unnamed US official said, citing recently declassified intelligence agencies.
US intelligence suggests that Putin was unaware of the extent to which his army relied on conscripted soldiers — and was losing — the official said.
The Russian leader has also received an unrealistically rosy assessment of Russian markets as his advisers downplay the impact of Western sanctions on their economy
The official also said Putin is now aware that he is being misled, causing tensions between the president and his top military officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting March 29.SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov meet with Putin in Moscow February 27 via REUTERS
A Russian tanker surrenders to the Ukrainian military.Facebook/Viktor Andrusiv
Armored vehicles of pro-Russian troops drive on a road in Ukraine’s Donetsk region March 25.REUTERS
There is a “clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information” on Putin, the official said, and the Russian president’s senior advisers “are afraid to tell him the truth.”
The official did not provide any underlying evidence as to how US intelligence made its decision.
With mail wires