Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in unforeseen obstacles and challenges that make victory a near impossibility as casualties continue to mount amid crippling sanctions, according to a letter purportedly authored by a Russian intelligence analyst in one of Moscow's security agencies.
The more than 2,000-word report by a whistleblower in the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), the successor agency to the KGB, said the number of Russians killed in the conflict could number 10,000, a figure in line with Ukrainian estimates and in stark contrast to the 498 reported by the Kremlin last week.
The report said Russia doesn't have an accurate number of its death count after losing contact with military units inside the country.
The author said the FSB was being blamed for Moscow's failures in fending off Ukrainian defense forces, while the agency was not given advanced warning about the invasion. Russia was also unprepared to deal with the effects of the global sanctions it now faces as the ruble continues to plunge, the letter said.
"No one knew that there would be such a war, so no one prepared for such sanctions," the report said. "It’s just that there is no option for a possible victory."
Meanwhile, officers were pressured to tailor reports to the narrative desired by Russian leaders.
"We have been increasingly pressed to customize reports to the requirements of management - I once touched on this topic," the author claims. "All these political...
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