Biden: "Putin, Who Chose 'Self-Isolation,' Fires Some Aides and Places Them Under House Arrest"

Russian President Vladimir Putin
[Photo by Reuters]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] U.S. President Joe Biden claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have dismissed or placed some of his aides under house arrest.

On the 31st (local time), President Biden stated at the White House in response to a reporter's question about "how much misinformation President Putin is receiving from his aides," saying, "I have not yet found the answer," but made the claim nonetheless.

The White House said the day before that based on intelligence obtained by U.S. intelligence agencies, President Putin is not receiving accurate information about the situation in Ukraine. There is a strong atmosphere of fear among his aides that they could be punished if they report the truth.

Multiple U.S. media outlets also reported on the same day that "President Putin was unaware that Russia was sending conscripts rather than elite troops to Ukraine," and "only recently realized that the information he had been receiving was false, leading him to distrust the military leadership." Earlier this month, after it became known that many Russian conscripts had died in Ukraine, President Putin announced that conscripts would not be sent into combat, but in reality, this was violated.

President Biden said, "I cannot speak with certainty as there is no definitive evidence, but there are several indications that President Putin has disciplined some of his advisers," adding, "It seems he has isolated himself."

The U.S. move is interpreted as a tactic to disrupt Russian military operations. Since late last year, before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has repeatedly disclosed information about Russian troop buildups near the Ukrainian border, effectively making the invasion a foregone conclusion.

President Biden also expressed skepticism about Putin's statement that he would withdraw all troops from near Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

He said, "So far, there is no clear evidence that President Putin is withdrawing troops from Kyiv," and "there is also evidence that forces are being reinforced in the Donbas region."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin fully denied the White House's announcement from the previous day. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed, "The U.S. State Department and Department of Defense do not have accurate information about what is happening in the Kremlin."

He added, "The U.S. does not understand President Putin, nor Russia’s decision-making structure or working methods," and raised concerns, saying, "The U.S.'s 'complete misunderstanding' leads to hasty decisions with bad consequences."