Putin is ready to recognize and accept Russian defeat in war with Ukraine - ISW

This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War.

American analysts draw attention to the fact that the Kremlin has admitted its defeat in the Kharkiv region.  At the same time, Moscow openly admitted failure for the first time since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kremlin officials and state media propagandists are actively discussing the reasons for Russia's failure in the Kharkiv region.  This is despite the fact that the Kremlin never admitted that the Russian Federation was defeated at Kiev or, later, on Zmiiny Island. The retreat from the Ukrainian capital was explained by the decision to give priority to the offensive in Donbas, and the exit from Zmiiny Island was called a "gesture of goodwill."

ISW believes that the Kremlin's admission of defeat is intended to soften and deflect criticism for the devastating failure from Vladimir Putin and shift responsibility to the Ministry of Defense and the military command.

Experts also draw attention to the fact that the Kremlin postponed Putin's meeting with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense immediately after the withdrawal of troops from Kharkiv and thus created a public appearance of a gap between the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense.

"The Kremlin's admission of defeat in Kharkiv shows that Putin is willing and able to admit and even accept Russia's defeat, at least in some circumstances, and focus on shifting the blame away from himself," ISW concluded.