Just as every autocrat like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin has his own squad of sycophants who tell him exactly what he wants to hear, and they’re completely misleading him about the impact of the Ukrainian invasion, Reuters reports.
US and European intelligence officials say Putin is being told the sanctions enacted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are having little impact on the country, when in fact, the ruble has collapsed and the Russian economy is significant damaged.
“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership,” Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, told reporters during a press briefing. “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 advisors are too afraid to tell him the truth.”
Russian troops have been held in check by the Ukrainians, making little headway since their invasion one month ago. The Ukrainians have repelled attacks on the capital city of Kyiv, a key target of Russia Putin thought would be captured in days. Ukrainians have also retaken significant portions of the country in the northern region of the country.