According to US and UK intelligence officials, advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin are afraid to tell the head of state the truth about their “failed” war in Ukraine.
“And even if Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, the events and extent of these misjudgments must be clear to the regime,” British secret service GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming said today in a lecture on a university in Canberra, Australia.
Fleming: Putin underestimated resistance
Fleming said Putin underestimated the resistance in Ukraine, the strength of the international coalition against him and the impact of economic sanctions. The Russian head of state also overestimated the capabilities of his own military.
“We’ve seen Russian soldiers – who lack weapons and morale – refusing to obey orders, sabotage their own equipment and even accidentally shoot down their own planes,” Fleming said.
US official: Putin feels ‘cheated’
A US official yesterday reported mistrust between the Russian head of state and those closest to him: “We have information that Putin feels cheated by the Russian military,” he said.
“Putin is misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is doing and how sanctions are hurting the Russian economy because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth.” So Putin did not know that the recruits sent to Ukraine to fight, said the US official. There are “constant tensions” between Putin and the Defense Ministry.
The Russian military suffered heavy casualties in its war of aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 24. The offensive quickly came to a halt in the face of fierce resistance from the Ukrainian army.