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US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS have determined that Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about Russian forces’ performance in Ukraine, according to an official.
The source said recently declassified intelligence suggests the president has felt misled by the Russian military and there is now persistent tension between him and his senior defence officials.
The US official did not detail underlying evidence for how intelligence officers made the determination.
The intelligence community concluded that Putin was unaware that his military had been using and losing conscripts in Ukraine.
They also determined that he is not fully aware of the extent to which the Russian economy is being damaged by economic sanctions imposed by the West.
The findings demonstrate a “clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information” to Putin, and show that his senior advisers are “afraid to tell him the truth”, the official said.
The new intelligence comes after the White House yesterday expressed scepticism about Moscow’s public announcement that it would dial back operations near Kyiv in an effort to increase trust in talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey.
“We’ll see,” US President Joe Biden said about that announcement. “I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are.”
Russian forces pounded areas around Ukraine’s capital and another city overnight, regional leaders said today.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said the administration views any movement of Russian forces as a “redeployment and not a withdrawal” and “no one should be fooled by Russia’s announcement”.
Biden was set to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today to discuss the latest developments in the war.
Putin has long been seen outside Russia as insular and surrounded by officials who do not always tell him the truth.
US officials have said publicly they believe that limited flow of information – possibly exacerbated by his heightened isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic – may have given the Russian president unrealistic views of how quickly he could overrun Ukraine.
The Biden administration launched an unprecedented effort before the war to publicise what it believed were Putin’s invasion plans, drawing on intelligence findings.
While Russia still invaded, the White House was widely credited with drawing attention to Ukraine and pushing initially reluctant allies to back tough sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy.
But underscoring the limits of intelligence, the US also underestimated Ukraine’s will to fight before the invasion, said Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, in recent evidence to Congress.
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Could he not just read the Journal and find out the truth
@Aideen Pollard: most truthful comments get b
@Aideen Pollard: You mean when U.S. intelligence stated there were Weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
@Donal Desmond: US intelligence reports and memos also said there were no WMDs. The Bush administration basically “cherry picked” the intelligence that suited their narrative and ignored good intelligence reports and agents that were actually accurate.
He knows exactly what is happening the spineless little man
The Russia changed tactics after Feb 27, that is the day their troops went on a kamikaze mission into Kharkiv.
Putin was likely livid that no major city was taken 3 days after the invasion started (this was supposed to be a 3 – 4 day mission) and he ordered the generals to send troops into Kharkiv.
Bizarre scenes of un-armoured canvas covered trucks driving towards the heavily defended city centre and other scenes of a few troops walking nervously behind lightly armoured vehicles, with tactics so inept they looked like a bachelor party playing paintball.
After that mess Russian troops avoided direct confrontation with the motivated Ukrainian army, switched to sitting outside cities and firing artillery and cruise missiles at them, the invasion had failed on that day, it ground to a halt (only a few gains in the south, but that came as a cost of loosing generals that acted as cheerleaders on the front line, trying to rally the troops).
Mr putride, a thug of the highest order.
@Richard Ahern: Herr Putin.
I suppose that’s what happens when you surround yourself with sycophantic yes men?
They aren’t telling him because they are terrified of him.
Advisors also told Putin that ruble is best performing currency in March…
The truth must slip out occasionally, and the people who forget to button it get fired or put under house arrest.
Such a horrible face. His eyes are so close together. Isn’t that a sign of a looper?
They remember how his Uncle Adolf used to react to the truth?
@Gerry campbell: they reckon the battle for D Day could have been very different if anyone had dared to wake Hitler to tell him the invasion has started. As it was he slept on blissfully unaware and by the time he eventually found out priceless hours had been lost that could have been used to bolster defences.
Yeah what are the chances of that
It’ll end badly for Putin. It always does for despots like this. And soon in his case.
Beware of those whose eyebrows meet for in their heart there lies deceit.
@Aine O Connor: The hair on his head doesn’t even meet in the middle lol
have your say