Putin is being misled to by his own aides, according to a senior US defence official

A US defence source warned Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being mislead by advisers and is unaware of how badly his own war is going.

An unidentified US source stated, citing freshly released intelligence, that the beleaguered strongman’s inner circle is deceiving him about everything from military defeats to the economy.

According to the person, US information indicates that Putin was ignorant of the extent to which his army was depending on – and losing – conscripted men.

The Russian president has also been offered an excessively optimistic view of Russian markets, with his aides downplaying the impact of Western sanctions on the Russian economy.

According to the person, Putin is now aware that he is being mislead, which is increasing friction between the president and his senior military leaders.

According to the person, there is a “obvious breakdown in the flow of factual information” to Putin, with the Russian president’s key aides “afraid to give him the truth.”

On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby did not disclose any further information, but said the Defense Department concurred with the intelligence assessment.

“It’s his military – it’s his fight, he selected it,” said Kirby of Putin. “It’s a bit unsettling that he may not have all the background, that he may not completely realise the extent to which his forces are failing in Ukraine.”

“How are his negotiators going to come up with a deal that is lasting, or one that respects Ukrainian sovereignty, if he isn’t fully apprised of how poorly he’s doing?”

“You never know how a leader like him will respond to terrible news,” he continued. “It’s unsettling.”

US officials provided no supporting evidence for their claim that Putin is being misled.