Russian President Vladimir Putin is "being misinformed" by advisers about "how badly the Russian military is performing," a U.S. official has told NBC News.
The U.S. official said accurate information about Russia’s failures on the battlefield — and the impact of crippling sanctions — is not making its way to Putin himself “because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth," citing declassified intelligence.
“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 said. “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 move by the administration to share this information comes after weeks of accusations by US officials that Putin was increasingly isolated — even from his own top advisers, though no evidence has been provided.
Last month, Putin had a tense exchange, on camera, with the head of Russia’s spy service during a security meeting about the disputed areas in eastern Ukraine. Putin repeatedly interrupted Sergei Naryshkin, chief of the foreign intelligence service, and told him to “Speak plainly!”
Earlier this month, in a televised message to mark International Women’s Day, Putin claimed Russia will not use any conscript soldiers in Ukraine: "I emphasize that conscript soldiers are not participating in hostilities and will not participate in them. And there will be no additional call-up of reservists,” NBC News reports.
