U.S. intel has picked up rising tensions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers as their war in Ukraine stretches into its second month, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, citing a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Putin’s senior military officials have been “afraid to tell him the truth” and initially didn’t tell him that the military was using conscripts in Ukraine, the official said. Putin was also kept largely in the dark about the full economic damage being done by international sanctions. But the Russian president is now aware that information was being deliberately kept from him, causing friction between the country’s leadership. On Tuesday, U.S. officials expressed skepticism over Russia’s announcement that it would withdraw from areas around Kyiv in order to build trust for peace talks. U.S. intel suggests Russia is only withdrawing from areas that it’s already losing.
