US says Russia feeding its people 'diet of lies' to hide Ukraine war costs
Putin, senior officials 'have done everything they can' to limit flow of information to Russian people, says State Dept.
Russia is feeding its people a "steady diet of lies" to conceal the true costs it is incurring as a result of its more than half-year war against Ukraine, the State Department said on Tuesday.
Spokesman Ned Price said Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials "have done everything they can" to limit the flow of unvarnished information to the Russian people and have ensured they are given a constant flow of government propaganda.
Putin and his allies "feed the Russian people a steady diet of lies, disinformation in an effort to hide the true costs of this war as the war has ground on, as additional Russians have come home in body bags, come home missing limbs," Price told reporters.
The comments come amid a lighting Ukrainian offensive that has led to mass territory being re-taken from Russian forces in the northeast, including the pivotal cities of Izyum and Kupiansk, both of which served as critical supply hubs for Moscow's forces in the region.
Price said there have been signs of greater opposition to the war fomenting in Russia, including what he said are "high-profile instances of defiance."
"There has also been a sort of lower level question and dialogue that you point to across Russia," he said.
"Unfortunately, this is a system that is ruled by and large by one individual. It is an individual surrounded not by democratically-elected aides, but by individuals who have set up, in many ways, safeguards against popular opinion, in some cases, even reaching the innermost sanctum of the Kremlin," he added.
Ukraine's recent rapid advances have seen it retake more than 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles) of territory in and near the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
Spokesman Ned Price said Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials "have done everything they can" to limit the flow of unvarnished information to the Russian people and have ensured they are given a constant flow of government propaganda.
Putin and his allies "feed the Russian people a steady diet of lies, disinformation in an effort to hide the true costs of this war as the war has ground on, as additional Russians have come home in body bags, come home missing limbs," Price told reporters.
The comments come amid a lighting Ukrainian offensive that has led to mass territory being re-taken from Russian forces in the northeast, including the pivotal cities of Izyum and Kupiansk, both of which served as critical supply hubs for Moscow's forces in the region.
Price said there have been signs of greater opposition to the war fomenting in Russia, including what he said are "high-profile instances of defiance."
"There has also been a sort of lower level question and dialogue that you point to across Russia," he said.
"Unfortunately, this is a system that is ruled by and large by one individual. It is an individual surrounded not by democratically-elected aides, but by individuals who have set up, in many ways, safeguards against popular opinion, in some cases, even reaching the innermost sanctum of the Kremlin," he added.
Ukraine's recent rapid advances have seen it retake more than 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles) of territory in and near the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
