U.S. Intelligence says Putin is being misled by his officials about Russia’s progress in Ukraine

The White House revealed this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his own advisors and officials about the Russian military’s overall poor performance in Ukraine.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said on Wednesday US intelligence officials believe Putin’s advisers are “too afraid” to tell him the truth about Russia’s progress in the Ukraine invasion, as well as the impact of world sanctions on the Russian economy since the war started.

Declassified intelligence shows Putin became aware of the misinformation being delivered to him. 

It remains unclear how the revelation will affect Putin’s future decision-making regarding the Ukraine war, and an unnamed official told CNBC the White is hopeful that by divulging the information publicly, Putin may rethink his Ukraine strategy.

The intelligence also showed the faulty information being given to Putin has caused increasing tension between the Russian president and his military leaders. The news comes as the war on the ground in Ukraine has all but stalled as Russian forces experience low morale and increasingly bomb civilian targets.