(RoyalPatriot.com )- As Russian troops begin to withdraw from Western Ukraine, U.S. defense and intelligence officials are suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being lied to by his own staff about the situation on the ground.
Speaking to Fox News, an unnamed U.S. official said that Putin is not aware that his own troops in Ukraine were “Using and losing conscripts” in the country, which showed a “clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president.”
Not only is the Russian president not being told who is fighting on behalf of his country and army, but he is also reportedly not being told the full story about how his army is performing.
The source said that Putin is being misinformed by advisors about how poorly his troops are doing in the country. Russia reportedly believed that the capital city of Kiev could be conquered within a matter of days, but five weeks later, and Russia not only hasn’t conquered Kiev but is actively retreating from the region. Russia has only been able to take control of eastern regions of Ukraine through intense bombing campaigns that have raised several major cities to the ground.
The official also claimed that Putin officials are “too afraid” to tell him the truth and that they also aren’t keeping him informed about how badly his nation’s economy is being hit by Western sanctions.
It’s unlikely that Putin thinks everything is fine – but if he thinks that the situation is manageable enough then it means that Western sanctions won’t have the effect they’re intended to. If Putin can think he can go on, then he will do it regardless of whether it hurts the economy. And, in the meantime, continued aggression in Russia means the West has to impose further sanctions and hurt Western countries as a result.
Yikes.
