Putin 'has placed the head of the FSB's foreign intelligence branch under house arrest because he is furious at security services for failing to warn him' that Ukraine could fiercely resist invasion

Vladimir Putin has reportedly placed the head of the FSB's foreign service under house arrest, along with his deputy

The Russian president is said to blame his intelligence agencies for the slow pace of the war in Ukraine, which has seen Russian casualties continue to mount

Andrey Soldatov, a well-respected author on the Russian secret services, said sources inside the FSB told him of the arrests on Friday

Embezzlement of funds allocated for subversive and undercover work in Ukraine, as well as false information, is said to be the reason for the arrests

The FSB security service allegedly told Putin Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if he invaded

The news comes after Putin was said to have sacked his top generals

Vladimir Putin has placed the head of the FSB's foreign service and his deputy under house arrest after blaming them for intelligence failings that saw his army handed a series of embarrassing defeats in Ukraine, it has been claimed.

Andrey Soldatov, a respected author on the Russian secret services, said sources inside the FSB told him that Sergey Beseda, 68, head of the agency's foreign service, has been placed under arrest on Putin's orders.

Also arrested is Anatoly Bolyukh, Beseda's deputy, according to Soldatov, who said Putin is 'truly unhappy' with the agency - which he ran before becoming president.

Putin is said to blame the agency for intelligence which assured him ahead of the invasion that Russian forces would face only token resistance from the Ukrainian army and that Ukrainians themselves were eager to be rid of their leaders.

Among the reasons for the repressions are the embezzlement of funds allocated for subversive and undercover work in Ukraine, as well as deliberately false information about the political situation in Ukraine.

The FSB security service allegedly handed him intelligence suggesting that Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if attacked.

In fact, the Russian armed forces have faced fierce resistance from Ukrainian soldiers that has battled them to a standstill, inflicted heavy losses, and forced Putin's commanders to resort to brutal siege warfare that has so far yielded few results.

Meanwhile Ukrainian civilians have rallied behind their government and the inspirational leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky, staging protests in areas that Russians have occupied, while sabotaging their tanks and capturing vehicles.

It comes after multiple reports said Putin was 'fuming' at the FSB for assuring him that his soldiers would meet little resistance when invading Ukraine, turning on his intelligence service and blaming them for the blunder.

Earlier today, Putin was said to have sacked his top generals and is 'raging' at the FSB after failed intelligence and poor strategy saw his troops handed a series of embarrassing defeats in the opening days of the war in Ukraine.

Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine's security council, said 'around eight' Russian commanders have been fired since the start of the conflict as Moscow scrambles to change strategy after its attempted 'shock and awe' blitz fell flat.

Soldatov previously told The Times that most FSB agents are brought into the service as legacy hires based on their parents or grandparents being agents and are removed from mainstream schools to be educated in-house.

This is unlike western security services, which tend to recruit from elite universities or colleges to ensure they get 'the cream of the crop'.

Alternatively, he said, the organisation did gather good intelligence - but was simply too afraid to tell Putin the truth, instead doctoring their reports to appease him.

That poor decision making has led to Russia suffering much higher casualties than it expected in its attack, which has now been going on for over two weeks.

It seems Moscow had anticipated little resistance when it sent in light forces backed by airstrikes to seize key targets during the opening days, but was met with punishing counter-attacks.

Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but Ukraine believes Russia has lost up to 12,000 men in a fortnight.

European intelligence puts it lower - between 6,000 and 9,000 - and US lower still, at up to 3,000.

Whichever proves accurate, it is almost certainly more than Putin anticipated when he launched the attack in the hope that fighting would be over in just a few days.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10603045/Putin-places-head-FSBs-foreign-intelligence-branch-house-arrest.html

Russia issues convoy warning to West

The ‘mindless’ handover of weapons to Kiev makes them ‘legitimate targets,’ Moscow said

Supplying Ukraine with Western arms only serves to worsen the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday, warning that Russian forces could potentially target such deliveries.

“We have warned the US that pumping up Ukraine with arms from several nations orchestrated by [Washington] is not just a dangerous move but something that makes these [arms] convoys legitimate targets,” Ryabkov told Russia’s Channel One. He did not elaborate on where and when Russia might target the convoys.

Ryabkov also warned that the “mindless handover” of “dangerous arms” like portable air-defense and anti-tank missiles poses a threat to Western nations themselves.

Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also expressed concerns over such weapons getting “into the wrong hands” after the conflict ends. Portable air-defense missiles could pose a particular risk to civil aviation in the skies over Ukraine or Europe for years to come, he added.

On Saturday, Ryabkov said that supplying arms to Ukraine makes Washington’s negotiating position weaker in its relations with Moscow. All the US calls for the end of the conflict “are not perceived as serious signals,” he said, adding that a “policy of escalation” now “absolutely dominates” Washington’s agenda, despite mantras about taking a measured approach.

“It is the US that is the major source of international tension,” the deputy foreign minister said, slamming America’s “material support for the criminal regime in Kiev.”

The statements come amid Russia’s ongoing military offensive in Ukraine.

Moscow has accused Kiev of failing to implement the Minsk agreements to resolve its conflict with what were then two secessionist regions in Donbass, in Ukraine’s east.

Russia launched its operation on February 24, arguing it was aimed at “demilitarizing” Ukraine in the name of protecting the people of the Donbass republics, which Russia now recognizes as independent.

Kiev has blasted Russia’s operation as a totally unprovoked aggression and approached the US and its allies for aid. President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested military aircraft that Ukrainian pilots can fly, as well as other weapons.

Western nations have collectively condemned Moscow’s military action, has slapped Russia with unprecedented sanctions and has promised generous military aid to Ukraine. The US alone authorized a shipment of $350 million in military aid to Ukraine last month. Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia also promised weapons to Kiev, including anti-tank missiles and self-propelled howitzers.

https://www.rt.com/russia/551765-western-weapons-convoys-ukraine-target/