ISW — Putin Invents Battlefield Successes to Sustain Russia’s War Effort

Russian President Vladimir Putin is deliberately portraying false battlefield successes and claiming Ukrainian defeats in an effort to justify continuing the war at any cost, according to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UATV English reports.

The U.S.-based think tank said Putin continues to reject repeated calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for peace negotiations while making unsubstantiated claims that Ukrainian forces are retreating along the entire front line.

According to ISW, the Kremlin has provided no evidence to support these assertions.

The analysts also noted that Putin avoided addressing Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against targets inside Russia or the country’s growing fuel shortages.

“Putin did not discuss Ukraine’s diplomatic strike campaign against Russia or the widespread gasoline shortages across the country. But he is likely attempting to demonstrate that he is aware of the economic and social challenges Russia is facing,” ISW said.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the Kremlin’s claims of an imminent Russian victory are contradicted by the actual situation on the battlefield.