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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Michelle Cullen

Vladimir Putin's soldiers 'refusing orders, sabotaging their equipment and accidentally shot down their own aircraft'

A UK spy chief has said Russian President Vladimir Putin's "personal war" is failing.

Sir Jeremy Fleming said the war in Ukraine was in "chaos" after he issued his first public statement since it began.

He said new intelligence has shown that Russian soldiers are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their own equipment as they grow increasingly frustrated by the conditions in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Russian sniper and mum with 'blood of at least 40 people on her hands' facing 'retribution' after being left for dead by fellow soldiers

Sir Jeremy also claimed that troops had accidentally shot down their own aircraft, saying Putin's advisors had been lying to him about Russia's many losses out of fear of what action the leader would take.

According to Sir Jeremy, Putin has been forced to alter his strategies, which has led to "barbarity against civilians and cities".

During a speech in the Australian capital Canberra to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate, he said: "'We're now seeing Putin trying to follow through on his plan, but it is failing. And his Plan B has been more barbarity against civilians and cities.

Jeremy Fleming, director of Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ), United Kingdom's intelligence, security and cyber agency, delivers his address at the 35th IISS Fullerton Lecture on the topic of Cyber Power in Singapore on February 25, 2019. (gettyimages.ie)

"It increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation. It's clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people.

"He underestimated the strength of the coalition his actions would galvanise. He underplayed the economic consequences of the sanctions regime.

"He overestimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory.'

He added: "We've seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.

"Even though we believe Putin's advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what's going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime."

The head of Britain's eavesdropping intelligence agency said Putin's campaign was now riddled with problems due to his "strategic miscalculation".

He said: "We know Putin's campaign is beset by problems – low morale, logistical failures and high Russian casualty numbers.

(STRINGER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

"Their command and control is in chaos. We've seen Putin lie to his own people in an attempt to hide military incompetence."

Sir Jeremy added: "It all adds up to the strategic miscalculation that Western leaders warned Putin it would be. It's become his personal war, with the cost being paid by innocent people in Ukraine and increasingly by ordinary Russians too.

"The great irony is that through his actions, Putin has brought upon himself exactly what he was trying to avoid – a Ukraine with a renewed sense of nationhood, a Nato that is more united than ever, and a global coalition of nations that condemn his actions."

His address came amid Western intelligence services claiming that Putin "didn't even know his military was using and losing conscripts... showing a clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information".

A US official said: "We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military.

"There is now persistent tension between Putin and the MOD, stemming from Putin's mistrust in MOD leadership."

Russia has lost as many as 15,000 troops as well as more than 2,000 military vehicles.

READ MORE: Ireland could house Ukrainian refugees in tents as Government 'exploring all options'

READ MORE: Irish citizens could be banned from entering Russia as Putin set to retaliate to sanctions

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