The Russian invasion of Ukraine does not go as planned. The successes of the initial phase are now fading before the setbacks. The criticism grows. According to British estimates, Russia’s President Putin is increasingly trying to blame others for this.
According to British intelligence experts, Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to shift responsibility for the costly and partially unsuccessful invasion of Ukraine and the growing dissatisfaction with the war from himself. A visit to the headquarters of the so-called military special operations last week served to do this, according to the daily intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defense on Twitter.
According to the British, during the visit, which was accompanied by cameras and also included Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov, the Kremlin chief was also concerned with countering rumors of his dismissal. Western intelligence services have reported in the past that after Ukraine could not be conquered as quickly as planned, Putin became more and more involved in the concrete planning of the invasion.
After numerous setbacks, Putin and the military leadership came under increasing pressure from nationalists and military bloggers. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadirov, has also repeatedly complained about tactical errors and other shortcomings in the fighting in Ukraine. Putin has changed numerous generals since the beginning of the invasion, but the situation has not improved.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
