Sir Jeremy Fleming, the head of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters, claimed in prepared statements to be presented on Thursday that Russian soldiers are refusing to obey commands, damaging their own equipment, and even unintentionally shooting down their own planes.
Vladimir Putin started an unprovoked and calculated attack on Ukraine barely 36 days ago. In every sense of the term, it’s been shocking. It is, nevertheless, unsurprising. According to a transcript of Fleming’s speech, “we’ve seen this tactic before.”
We saw the intelligence picture develop, he added. And now we’re watching Putin attempt to carry out his strategy. However, it is failing. And his Plan B has been even more heinous acts of violence against citizens and cities.
On Thursday, March 31, Fleming gave a discussion at the Australian National University about the generational change that is threatening world security. Fleming claims that Putin has grossly misread the position in his address, which was released on the website of the UK spy agency GCHQ.
In his address, Fleming expressed his belief that Putin’s advisers are scared to tell him the truth about low morale, logistical problems, and high Russian casualty rates.
Similarly, US intelligence officials have said that Putin’s advisors are misinforming him because they fear him.
The UN announced late last week that Russia’s attack on Ukraine has killed at least 1,119 civilians. NATO estimates that between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian servicemen have died in the conflict, whereas Russia claims that 1,351 of its personnel have died. On March 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided the most recent update on army deaths, stating that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.
Russia declared this week that it will reduce its military presence near Kyiv and in the northern city of Chernihiv in order to create mutual trust and focus on the Donbas region, but Ukrainian officials reported heavy Russian bombardment and civilian casualties in both cities by Wednesday.
