U.S. intelligence officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin has been misled by his advisers about the success of Russian troops in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. intelligence official.
The official, who asked on condition of anonymity to comment on the recently declassified intelligence, said Putin felt he had been misled by the Russian military and that there were long-running tensions between him and senior defense officials.
The official did not say on what data this intelligence assessment is based.
However, the US intelligence community concluded that Putin was unaware that the military was using and losing conscripts in the conflict in Ukraine. The intelligence community also found that Putin did not know the true extent of the economic sanctions imposed on the Russian economy by the United States and its allies.
The intelligence points to a clear failure to provide accurate information to Putin, and that his advisers are “afraid to tell him the truth,” the official said.