Ukrainian Spies Saw Drunken Soldiers In Russia Before Invasion Report

In the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Ukrainian spies were sent to Russia to monitor the Russian military and encountered “many” drunken soldiers, according to a new Washington Post report. Russian troops had apparently traded fuel and other supplies for alcohol. “Many of them were drunk,” a Ukrainian official who saw reports from the spies told the Post. Their observations, which also included tank formations without crews or maintainers, suggested Russia was unprepared for war and reportedly fueled a degree of disbelief among some officials in Ukraine that Russia would actually attempt an invasion. In many ways, as it has since proven, Russia was not ready, but it went ahead anyway. The Post’s report, which relies heavily on a trove of sensitive material gathered by Ukrainian officials and other security agencies, offers intricate details of Russian intelligence failures in the run-up to the war. Russia began laying the groundwork for an invasion years ago, according to the report, and cultivated a significant network of agents in Ukraine with the ultimate goal of toppling the government and subjugating the former Soviet republic. Before the invasion, it was widely believed that if Russia launched a military invasion, it would be able to defeat Ukrainian forces within days, but this is how the conflict has now unfolded. The Russian military failed to capture Kyiv as the Ukrainian military put up much stiffer resistance than many expected. The fight has now lasted nearly six months, with Russia making only incremental progress as the conflict has turned into a terrifying war of attrition. In many ways, the invasion was humiliating for the Russian military, which suffered massive losses of troops and equipment. Russia’s main spy agency, the FSB, bears much of the blame for botched war plans and overconfidence that affected the Russian military’s ambitious goals, according to the Post report. The FSB, for example, allegedly offered the Kremlin misleadingly positive assessments that suggested Ukrainians would welcome Russia with open arms. “There were a lot of wishes,” a senior Western security official told the Post, adding that the FSB had a feeling “there would be flowers strewn in their wake.” The FSB apparently believed that a swift attack would quickly oust the Ukrainian government. But, according to the Post report, the FSB officers eventually ended up withdrawing from Kyiv along with Russian troops. Earlier reports said Putin received bad information because his advisers were “too afraid” to give him negative reviews. People who have angered or displeased the Russian leader have occasionally ended up dying violently or mysteriously, while others have ended up in prison. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” a US official said in late March. . “Putin,” the official said, “didn’t even know his military was using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president.”

title: “Ukrainian Spies Saw Drunken Soldiers In Russia Before Invasion Report Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-11” author: “Marie Bosworth”

In the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Ukrainian spies were sent to Russia to monitor the Russian military and encountered “many” drunken soldiers, according to a new Washington Post report. Russian troops had apparently traded fuel and other supplies for alcohol. “Many of them were drunk,” a Ukrainian official who saw reports from the spies told the Post. Their observations, which also included tank formations without crews or maintainers, suggested Russia was unprepared for war and reportedly fueled a degree of disbelief among some officials in Ukraine that Russia would actually attempt an invasion. In many ways, as it has since proven, Russia was not ready, but it went ahead anyway. The Post’s report, which relies heavily on a trove of sensitive material gathered by Ukrainian officials and other security agencies, offers intricate details of Russian intelligence failures in the run-up to the war. Russia began laying the groundwork for an invasion years ago, according to the report, and cultivated a significant network of agents in Ukraine with the ultimate goal of toppling the government and subjugating the former Soviet republic. Before the invasion, it was widely believed that if Russia launched a military invasion, it would be able to defeat Ukrainian forces within days, but this is how the conflict has now unfolded. The Russian military failed to capture Kyiv as the Ukrainian military put up much stiffer resistance than many expected. The fight has now lasted nearly six months, with Russia making only incremental progress as the conflict has turned into a terrifying war of attrition. In many ways, the invasion was humiliating for the Russian military, which suffered massive losses of troops and equipment. Russia’s main spy agency, the FSB, bears much of the blame for botched war plans and overconfidence that affected the Russian military’s ambitious goals, according to the Post report. The FSB, for example, allegedly offered the Kremlin misleadingly positive assessments that suggested Ukrainians would welcome Russia with open arms. “There were a lot of wishes,” a senior Western security official told the Post, adding that the FSB had a feeling “there would be flowers strewn in their wake.” The FSB apparently believed that a swift attack would quickly oust the Ukrainian government. But, according to the Post report, the FSB officers eventually ended up withdrawing from Kyiv along with Russian troops. Earlier reports said Putin received bad information because his advisers were “too afraid” to give him negative reviews. People who have angered or displeased the Russian leader have occasionally ended up dying violently or mysteriously, while others have ended up in prison. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” a US official said in late March. . “Putin,” the official said, “didn’t even know his military was using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president.”

title: “Ukrainian Spies Saw Drunken Soldiers In Russia Before Invasion Report Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Mike Sheffield”

In the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Ukrainian spies were sent to Russia to monitor the Russian military and encountered “many” drunken soldiers, according to a new Washington Post report. Russian troops had apparently traded fuel and other supplies for alcohol. “Many of them were drunk,” a Ukrainian official who saw reports from the spies told the Post. Their observations, which also included tank formations without crews or maintainers, suggested Russia was unprepared for war and reportedly fueled a degree of disbelief among some officials in Ukraine that Russia would actually attempt an invasion. In many ways, as it has since proven, Russia was not ready, but it went ahead anyway. The Post’s report, which relies heavily on a trove of sensitive material gathered by Ukrainian officials and other security agencies, offers intricate details of Russian intelligence failures in the run-up to the war. Russia began laying the groundwork for an invasion years ago, according to the report, and cultivated a significant network of agents in Ukraine with the ultimate goal of toppling the government and subjugating the former Soviet republic. Before the invasion, it was widely believed that if Russia launched a military invasion, it would be able to defeat Ukrainian forces within days, but this is how the conflict has now unfolded. The Russian military failed to capture Kyiv as the Ukrainian military put up much stiffer resistance than many expected. The fight has now lasted nearly six months, with Russia making only incremental progress as the conflict has turned into a terrifying war of attrition. In many ways, the invasion was humiliating for the Russian military, which suffered massive losses of troops and equipment. Russia’s main spy agency, the FSB, bears much of the blame for botched war plans and overconfidence that affected the Russian military’s ambitious goals, according to the Post report. The FSB, for example, allegedly offered the Kremlin misleadingly positive assessments that suggested Ukrainians would welcome Russia with open arms. “There were a lot of wishes,” a senior Western security official told the Post, adding that the FSB had a feeling “there would be flowers strewn in their wake.” The FSB apparently believed that a swift attack would quickly oust the Ukrainian government. But, according to the Post report, the FSB officers eventually ended up withdrawing from Kyiv along with Russian troops. Earlier reports said Putin received bad information because his advisers were “too afraid” to give him negative reviews. People who have angered or displeased the Russian leader have occasionally ended up dying violently or mysteriously, while others have ended up in prison. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” a US official said in late March. . “Putin,” the official said, “didn’t even know his military was using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president.”

title: “Ukrainian Spies Saw Drunken Soldiers In Russia Before Invasion Report Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Norma Ruiz”

In the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Ukrainian spies were sent to Russia to monitor the Russian military and encountered “many” drunken soldiers, according to a new Washington Post report. Russian troops had apparently traded fuel and other supplies for alcohol. “Many of them were drunk,” a Ukrainian official who saw reports from the spies told the Post. Their observations, which also included tank formations without crews or maintainers, suggested Russia was unprepared for war and reportedly fueled a degree of disbelief among some officials in Ukraine that Russia would actually attempt an invasion. In many ways, as it has since proven, Russia was not ready, but it went ahead anyway. The Post’s report, which relies heavily on a trove of sensitive material gathered by Ukrainian officials and other security agencies, offers intricate details of Russian intelligence failures in the run-up to the war. Russia began laying the groundwork for an invasion years ago, according to the report, and cultivated a significant network of agents in Ukraine with the ultimate goal of toppling the government and subjugating the former Soviet republic. Before the invasion, it was widely believed that if Russia launched a military invasion, it would be able to defeat Ukrainian forces within days, but this is how the conflict has now unfolded. The Russian military failed to capture Kyiv as the Ukrainian military put up much stiffer resistance than many expected. The fight has now lasted nearly six months, with Russia making only incremental progress as the conflict has turned into a terrifying war of attrition. In many ways, the invasion was humiliating for the Russian military, which suffered massive losses of troops and equipment. Russia’s main spy agency, the FSB, bears much of the blame for botched war plans and overconfidence that affected the Russian military’s ambitious goals, according to the Post report. The FSB, for example, allegedly offered the Kremlin misleadingly positive assessments that suggested Ukrainians would welcome Russia with open arms. “There were a lot of wishes,” a senior Western security official told the Post, adding that the FSB had a feeling “there would be flowers strewn in their wake.” The FSB apparently believed that a swift attack would quickly oust the Ukrainian government. But, according to the Post report, the FSB officers eventually ended up withdrawing from Kyiv along with Russian troops. Earlier reports said Putin received bad information because his advisers were “too afraid” to give him negative reviews. People who have angered or displeased the Russian leader have occasionally ended up dying violently or mysteriously, while others have ended up in prison. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” a US official said in late March. . “Putin,” the official said, “didn’t even know his military was using and losing conscripts in Ukraine, showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information to the Russian president.”