The Pentagon believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has not been fully informed” of the status of the invasion into Ukraine.
Putin is “being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled,” multiple outlets reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said he could “concur with the conclusion.”
PENTAGON: ‘SMALL NUMBERS’ OF RUSSIAN TROOPS LEAVING KYIV, ‘NOT A REAL WITHDRAWAL’
“The fact that he may not have all the context that he may not fully understand the degree to which his forces are failing in Ukraine — that’s a little discomforting, to be honest with you. And it’s certainly one outcome of that, that could be a less-than-faithful effort at negotiating some sort of settlement here,” Kirby added, also warning that U.S. officials “don’t have access to every bit of information that he’s been given or every conversation that he’s had.”
The White House corroborated the reports as well during Wednesday’s press briefing.
“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership,” White House communications director Kate Bedingfield stated. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy has been crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth.”
The Pentagon has noted in recent days that Russian forces appear to be turning their attention to the Donbas region, in the southeastern part of the country, and away from the capital, Kyiv. They annexed Crimea back in 2014 and have sought to gain a land corridor between it and the Donbas, which has a pro-Russian separatist faction, so that it can more easily move supplies and troops from one area to the other.
Over the last 24 hours, the Pentagon observed a “small percentage of the troops” that Russia had arrayed against Kyiv “repositioning,” Kirby said. Roughly 20% of the force there has turned around and headed away from the city.
A day earlier, Kirby warned that the apparent withdrawal “doesn’t mean that the threat to Kyiv is over.”
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The Russian military has failed to accomplish its goals after nearly five weeks since the invasion began. Russia had hoped to overtake Kyiv quickly and dispatch the current government. But its forces have been met with fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces who have, with the help of international aid, kept Russian troops out of most major cities and have even taken back some territory that had been captured.
Russian forces have also faced logistical and supplies problems in addition to not having appropriate gear for soldiers.
Russian forces have resorted to the indiscriminate shelling and bombardment of civilian areas and structures in response to this lack of success. The U.S. has accused them of committing war crimes.
