Putin confronted a member of his inner circle about how he was managing the invasion of Ukraine.

A member of the inner circle of Vladimir Putin He has been directly at odds with the Russian president in recent weeks over his handling of the war UkraineAccording to information received by US intelligence.

The criticism is a clear sign of turmoil within the Russian leadership over how to manage a war Caused havoc Moscowforcing Putin It ordered the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops last month in a desperate bid to replace recent battlefield losses.

This information was considered important enough to be included in the President’s daily briefing Biden and shared with other U.S. officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss key intelligence.

Dissatisfaction expressed by an inner circle member of Putin Mentions that the officer considered a Mismanagement of the war effort According to one of the people, for the mistakes made by the executors of the military campaign.

The identity of the informant could not be confirmed, although his name was included in intelligence reports condition joined.

The new information, along with comments from Russian officials, underscores that Splits within Putin’s leadershipOfficials have long resisted delivering bad news to an authoritarian Russian leader Also considered isolated At no other time in his 22 years in office.

A spokesperson National Security Council He declined to comment on the information.

Number of people Putin Counts of close or trusted aides and advisers are small and consist mainly of colleagues from his days as an officer. KPG And those he met when he was deputy mayor Saint Petersburg In the 1990s, after the recession Union Soviet.

Mobilized Discomfort InternalMade hundreds of thousands of Russian men of fighting age Run away from the country And it is beset by bureaucratic inefficiency, as those who should be excluded from service have been invited.

as The war enters its eighth monthAnd as elusive and ill-defined as the Russian victory is, the unquestioning loyalty it enjoys Putin May be declining, intelligence officials said, but cautioned There is no sign that the Russian leader will be pushed aside.

“From the start of the invasion, we saw warnings from various members of Putin’s inner circle.A Western intelligence official said. “Our assessments suggest that recent Russian losses, in particular, are being exploited by misdirection and extensiveness defects Military”.

A second senior Western official said internal tensions “The way the campaign went for the Russians and the atmosphere in the Kremlin. There are a lot of people who believed it wasn’t going well or that it wasn’t the right move.”

Spokesperson The Kremlin, Dimitri PeskovHe admitted that there had been disagreements and debates among Russian leaders Putin It faced major decisions like mobilization.

“There are differences of opinion about those moments. Some people think we should have acted differently,” he said. Peskov A The Washington Post. “But it’s part of the normal work process.”

Asked about differences of opinion in the inner circle of Putin, Peskov said: “There are work discussions: About the economy, about the conduct of military operations. There are debates about the education system. It is part of the normal work process and is not an indication of any division.”

But Peskov Said to be information from the US intelligence about a person belonging to the inner circle of Putin The Russian leader was directly challenged.Absolutely lie”.

The Ukrainian forces are armed with American and European weaponsThey have recaptured thousands of square kilometers of territory in recent weeks from the undermanned Russian army.

caused losses The Kremlin It has begun recruiting hundreds of thousands of military reservists to organize referendums and formally announce the annexation of occupied territories, widely condemned as illegal, while risking opposition and internal protests.

Putin He has threatened to take it Extreme measures to protect Russian territoryIn the hope that the threat, including the use of nuclear weapons, will cause supporters Ukraine Think twice about how far you should allow yourself to progress Kiev.

This situation has provoked public criticism of the minister Protection and to major commanders PutinAs a rare expression of displeasure.

Ramadan KadyrovChairman Chechnya is a Russian republicsent Chechen militias to fight against Ukraine, recently lashed out at a high-ranking general and said he should be demoted to a private. After these comments, Kadyrov announced that Putin He promoted the Chechen to the rank of Colonel General.

Evgeny PrigogineAn old friend Putin Whose mercenaries Wagner They are fighting for Moscow Inside UkraineAgreed KadyrovDescribing Russian military leaders”Pieces of junk” in a statement.

An officer is installed Moscow Busy Gerson It described the withdrawal of Russian forces in recent days to the northeast of the city “Reintegration” and region ” he saidblocked”, but also called top Russian military leaders traitors and incompetents.

“Truly, Many say that if it was the Defense Minister who brought this situation, the real officers would shoot themselves.”, he said on Thursday Grill StremosovVice President of Administration Gerson established RussiaIn a video telegram.

The problems of Putin On the battlefield they are aggravated by irregular mobilization at home.

“It seems to me that your position is weak” said a Russian official Putin In an interview on the day the mobilization was announced.

“All these months we have heard that half the world is on our side. But now neither Modi nor Jio support him”, the Russian official said, referring to the Indian Prime Minister. Narendran modand the Chinese leader, Xi Xi Jinpingwho were seen to withdraw themselves from the war effort Putin During the summit held last month Samarkand (Uzbekistan)

In another conversation this week, the official said he had not heard any direct challenges Putin From within the inner circle. But “there are objections” by leaders of parliamentary committees. About the way the President and the military are conducting the war — “About why the army was not adequately supplied, about why the campaign did not take place”, said the officer.

Senior Security Officers Europe They said no one seemed to dare to challenge Putin Directly in the course of events Ukraine He also said that he had not seen the intelligence reports America About the review Putin.

Even then, some officials said that Citing criticism, cracks in many layers of the Russian system became more apparent Accusations of the Russian military, security services and regional governments now forcing men of military age to serve.

A senior European security official described the growingCriticism of Putin, behind his back”, even from the rankings The Kremlin. “They think he is stubborn“, said the officer, adding “Obsessed with Ukraine”, a “they don’t necessarily share”.

The second security officer Europe said: “There are sacrifices. He points with his finger. This is happening”.

Two Russian business executives Those who maintain contacts with political authorities echoed those sentiments And they said the next few weeks could be crucial in determining Putin’s future and his decisions on the war.

If the Russian army does not control its losses, Internal strife eruptsOne of these people said, a member of the Russian business elite. “This is a breaking point”.

Mobilizing the troops has proven largely unpopular Russia And that could be a sign Putin He feels pressured to take desperate measures.

for months Putin Even when battlefield losses indicated that he had not fielded enough troops early in the war, he resisted calling for additional troops. Already in the spring of this year, during the project Putin For quick invasion and occupation Ukraine Intelligence analysts were clearly hiding condition joined It was estimated that a vast mobilization of hundreds of thousands of additional troops would have to be announced—if it hoped to achieve its objectives, at that time. Putin He believed he still could, according to a senior US official familiar with the matter.

The conclusion that Putin What Russian officials say will be an additional 300,000 troops is one of the most destabilizing and politically risky moves of his career.would lead to regime instability“, said a third European defense official.

Others, however, were in spite of the mass exodus of military-age men Russia, Putin He has crossed a major threshold without provoking any significant internal challenge to his government. Even regional authorities, angered by the mobilization, are largely acquiescing as tens of thousands are being recruited.

“Everyone is determined to look for signs that Russia is collapsing. And yes internal tensions are visible“, said a senior Baltic official. “But Russia is now advancing on a war footing. We see nothing to suggest otherwise.”.

(C) Washington Post.-

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