Russian military leaders will likely start hiding critical information from Putin to save their own necks, researcher says
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Those leaders are "now even more dependent on Mr. Putin for their safety and positions," the researcher wrote in a piece for The New York Times.
Top Russian military leaders will likely start hiding information from Putin out of self-preservation, a Russia researcher wrote for NYT.
Those generals are "now even more dependent on Mr. Putin for their safety and positions," she added.
Indeed, as Russia is at a critical point in its war against Ukraine, Russian military officials have shown more interest in sniping at each other.
Russian military leaders will likely start concealing bad news about the war in Ukraine from the Russian president because they are increasingly concerned about their own safety.
That's according to Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation who focuses on Russia.
She added that Russia's defense minister and a top general — both of whom have found themselves in hot water at various times in the war, especially in recent months — are "now even more dependent on Mr. Putin for their safety and positions," and "could be more likely to hide or soften bad news from the battlefield to keep his confidence."
And that could hinder Putin from getting a detailed and accurate picture of Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Kyiv's slog against Russian defenses has been hitting a wall, as minefields and other threats slow progress along the front lines. But increased aid from the US and NATO allies is giving Ukraine additional tools to help its advance, such as cluster munitions, mine-clearing capabilities, and long-range stand-off weapons like Storm Shadow missiles.
If Ukraine can achieve a breakthrough, it would, obviously, spell trouble for Russian forces. But even if the counteroffensive fails to shatter Russian lines, Russia is expending munitions and personnel that would be essential for the army to go back on the offensive.
Meanwhile, Shoigu and Gerasimov — both of whom Prigozhin frequently lambasted over their Ukraine strategy — have been "retained by Mr. Putin for their loyalty," Massicot wrote, adding that they're "now even more likely to suppress negative information and present a distorted image of the war."
But there is a significant risk in that approach, she said. "For the sake of familiarity, the Kremlin has chosen to reinforce failure."
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