JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin, Isolated and Distrustful, Leans on Handful of Hard-Line Advisers” – WSJ
“Russia’s president built a power structure designed to deliver him the information he wants to hear, feeding into his miscalculations on the Ukraine war.”
“… [Putin reportedly] seemed to have limited understanding of the reality of the situation [in a particular location] …. His poorly equipped front-line troops were being encircled by a Ukrainian advance backed by artillery provided by the West. [] Putin [reportedly] rebuffed his own generals’ commands and told … troops to hold firm …. The Ukrainian ambushes continued, and … [later] Russian soldiers hastily withdrew, leaving behind dozens of dead bodies and supplies of artillery to restock Ukraine’s weapons caches. [] Putin expected the war in Ukraine to be swift, popular and triumphant. For months, he struggled to come to terms with … a costly quagmire … isolated and distrustful at the pinnacle of a power structure designed to reinforce his belligerent worldview and shelter him from discouraging news. …”