Dictators like Putin surround themselves with liars and propaganda. That leads to very bad decisions | Robert Reich

Trump, Putin, Xi - these men aren't stupid. But they have no way of eliciting, recognizing, or assessing useful criticism

It appears that Vladimir Putin's aides have misinformed him about the war, fearful of his reaction.

On Wednesday, American officials revealed that, according to American intelligence, Putin's strict isolation during the pandemic and willingness to publicly castigate advisers have contributed to him getting incomplete or overly optimistic reports about the progress of Russian forces.