Ukraine war: Putin being misled by fearful advisers, US says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misled by advisers who are too scared to tell him how badly the war in Ukraine is going, the White House says.

Meanwhile, British intelligence says Russian troops in Ukraine are demoralised, short of equipment and refusing to carry out orders.

Mr Putin is also not being told about the full impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, the White House said.

The Kremlin said the US had a "total misunderstanding" of the situation.

Mr Putin's chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists: "They simply don't understand what's happening in the Kremlin, they don't understand President Putin, they don't understand how decisions are taken and they don't understand the style of our work." read more