(Written by Julian E. Barnes, Lara Jakes and John Ismay)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been misinformed by his advisers about Russian military conflicts UkraineAccording to declassified US intelligence.
The intelligence, according to several US officials, reflects rising tensions between Putin and the Defense Ministry with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, once one of the most trusted members of the Kremlin’s inner circle.
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Speaking in Algiers, Algeria, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged that Putin was given less than true information from his advisers.
“With regard to President Putin, look, what I can tell you is this, and I said earlier, one of the Achilles’ heels of autocracy is that you don’t have people who are in power. Speak the truth to those in power or those who have the ability to speak the truth to those in power,” Blinken said. “And I think that’s something we’re seeing in Russia.”
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Defense Department believes Putin does not have access to an accurate account of his military’s failures in Ukraine.
“We agree with the conclusion that Mr Putin has not been fully informed by his Defense Ministry at every turn in the past month,” Kirby said.
“If Mr. Putin has no misinformation or knowledge about what is happening inside Ukraine, then this is his army, this is his war, he has chosen it,” Kirby said. “And so the fact that he may not have all the context – that he doesn’t fully understand the extent to which his military is failing in Ukraine, to be honest with you is a little uncomfortable.”
Other US officials have said Putin’s harsh isolation during the pandemic and willingness to publicly rebuke advisers who do not share his views has led to the extent of war, or even the Russian military. There is also a rift in the senior ranks. created fear. Officials believe Putin is receiving incomplete or overly optimistic reports about the progress of the Russian military, creating distrust with his military advisers.
According to US officials, Putin was actually unaware that Russian forces were using troops in Ukraine and was among the soldiers killed in action. Putin’s ignorance showed “a clear break in the flow of accurate information” to the Russian president, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss unclassified, but still sensitive, material, according to a US official. The official said tensions between Putin and the defense ministry “still continue”.
Officials said US intelligence assessments also said Putin had an incomplete understanding of how harmful Western sanctions were on the Russian economy.
The war continues poorly for the Russian army. The Ukrainian army not only managed itself, but also launched a counterattack. Some US officials believe senior Russian officials are wary of giving true assessments – potentially fearing that messengers of bad news will be to blame for failures on the battlefield.
The Russian military’s stumbling block has eroded trust between Putin and his defense ministry. While Shoigu was considered one of the few advisers trusted by Putin, the prosecution of the war in Ukraine has damaged the relationship.
Putin has placed two top intelligence officials under house arrest for providing poor intelligence prior to the invasion, something that may have further contributed to the climate of fear.
With evidence of Putin’s desperation growing, the United States has been making an intelligence case in recent weeks that it was not receiving accurate assessments from the Defense Ministry and other senior officials. US officials believe Putin is constantly being misled and senior advisers are unwilling to speak the truth.
What American intelligence sources might be in the Kremlin is a veiled mystery. But since Russia began building up its military on Ukraine’s borders last year, US intelligence officials have accurately predicted Putin’s moves.
The unclassified information was reported Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The Russian military announced a change in its currency around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday, although US officials expressed doubts that Russia was halting its attacks as a sign of peace. Rather, some believe the move is another sign that Russia is adjusting its failed strategy. It is also possible that the transfer strategy may be a sign of dysfunction and miscommunication in the upper ranks of the Russian Defense Ministry.