Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in the Kremlin may be too terrified to tell him the truth about his “catastrophic” invasion of Ukraine, Western officials said on Tuesday. They added that there were “significant signs of concern” about how the conflict over Russia between the elite in Moscow had unfolded and that a “game of responsibility” may have now erupted in the “Russian system”. It is also believed that there is “self-concern in the intelligence services that they misjudged catastrophically” how Ukraine and its people would react to the invasion. It creates a “sense of Ukrainian sacrifice and nationality and a reluctance to submit to Russia, which is likely to last for generations and make it impossible for Russia to subdue Russia,” an official said. However, there are still doubts as to whether Putin was actually informed of how many Russian soldiers were being killed, that his troops had been forced to withdraw from some areas near Kyiv, and that they had managed to occupy only one large city, Kherson. which may be difficult to hold as Ukrainian forces counterattack.

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Asked what people in the Kremlin were saying to the Russian president, a Western official said: “Even if they were able to influence him, would they be ready to tell him the truth about the disastrous progress of his campaign? “I think we are much less sure he has an honest picture on the ground.” He said that was why the Western and Ukrainian media were important, so that the Russian leadership, including the president, knew how badly his military campaign was going, including the heavy losses, with more than 10,000 Russian soldiers being killed, according to some reports.

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Mariupol bombing
Members of the pro-Russian service appear above a tank during the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the outskirts of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine REUTERS General view of the remains of the drama theater that was hit by a bomb in Mariupol Azov brochure via REUTERS Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine AP Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine AP Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine Azov brochure via REUTERS Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine AP Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine Azov brochure via REUTERS Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine Azov brochure via REUTERS Drama Theater damaged after bombings in Mariupol, Ukraine Azov brochure via REUTERS A view shows a residential building damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine REUTERS A Ukrainian soldier photographs a damaged church after a bombing in a residential area in Mariupol, Ukraine AP Another official stressed: “It is also possible that within the Russian system various elements will blame each other for the lack of success, so as to also complicate the challenge of passing the truth, because people will be quite defensive. my own failures and trying to point the finger at others “. Mystery still surrounds the fate of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who disappeared from the limelight for several days amid rumors that Putin was accusing him of stopping the invasion, but made a fleeting video of a meeting with the president. with some suggestions though that it might have been fake. A report in the Times on Tuesday said investigators believe it is actually in a nuclear shelter in the Ural Mountains, suggesting it may continue to play a key role in the invasion, as its strategy has shifted to focus on eastern Ukraine after failure. to occupy the capital Kyiv within days. A Western official said there was now “some indication of concern” about what went wrong. “It simply came to our notice then. The first is who is to blame for this? “I think between services and between levels, so people blame other organizations or blame other levels of government,” he explained. “And we have seen several commanders at various levels walk away. “Obviously we saw some people being killed and they had to be replaced.” He added: “The challenge for them … is that a force that was going to be modernized in the last ten years could not function the way they had planned and assumed they could. And now we are back to this wear and tear strategy and learning it will probably take a long time to adapt and change. “There are obviously signs of self-reflection in the military that they are not performing well. “There is an equally great concern for themselves in the intelligence services that they have catastrophically assessed the Ukrainian national mood and to the extent that they have understood it correctly, they have not communicated it correctly.”