In order to understand and anticipate Vladimir Putin’s reactions, the United States is trying to unlock the secrets of the Kremlin. On the basis of declassified American intelligence, the White House thus assured Wednesday that the Russian president is poorly informed of the course of the war in Ukraine and his relations with his own staff have deteriorated.
“We have information that Putin believes the Russian military misled him, which has caused ongoing tension between him and his staff,” said the US executive’s communications director. Kate Bedingfield, during a routine briefing.
A weak point of “autocracies”
“One of the Achilles heels of autocracies is that in these systems, there is no longer anyone who tells the truth to the power in place, or who has the possibility to do so. And I think it’s a phenomenon that we are seeing now in Russia,” commented US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a trip to Algeria.
“We believe that Putin is misinformed (…) about the poor performance of the Russian military and the severity of the impact of the sanctions on the Russian economy because his top advisers are afraid to tell him the truth,” he said. said Kate Bedingfield again, confirming information given earlier by a senior US official on condition of anonymity. “Putin did not even know that his army was recruiting and losing conscripts in Ukraine, which demonstrates a clear break in the flow of reliable information reaching the Russian president,” said this official.
Questions about the Russian Defense Minister
The White House is releasing this information against a background of questions about the relationship between the Russian president and his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The latter made a public appearance on Saturday after two weeks of absence, which had given rise to all kinds of speculation, including on the health of the minister.
This absence from the media was all the more surprising since Sergei Shoigu is usually a familiar face on television screens. He is also considered close to the Russian president. He and Vladimir Putin regularly stage trips to the Siberian taiga, driving all-terrain vehicles, drinking tea or picking mushrooms.
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