Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misled by his advisers and does not know how poorly his invasion of Ukraine is going, a U.S. defense official reportedly said on Wednesday.
“The struggling strongman is being lied to by his inner circle about everything from military losses to the economy, an unnamed US official said, citing recently declassified intelligence,” The New York Post reported. “US intelligence suggests that Putin was unaware of the extent to which his army was relying on — and losing — conscripted soldiers, the official said.”
“The Russian leader has also been given an unrealistically rosy assessment of Russian markets as his advisers downplay the effect of Western sanctions on their economy,” the outlet added. “The official also said Putin is now aware he’s being misled, which is causing tension between the president and his top military officials.”
The news comes shortly after Putin said that this country will undergo a “self-purification” of “traitors” while Russian forces remained stalled in Ukraine.
“The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths,” Putin said. “I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.”
