High-ranking members of the (Russian) Federal Security Service (FSB) are being placed under house arrest as Russian leadership looks to tie up any loose ends behind its recent miscalculations in Ukraine.
Putin, a former intelligence officer himself, placed a lot of faith into the intelligence provided to him by people like Sergey Beseda; the head of the Kremlin’s foreign intelligence branch, who was arrested with his subordinate Anatoly Bolyukh, according to a leading expert on the Russian security services. It seems Putin is looking for someone to blame for the miscalculations made by his armed forces on the ground in Ukraine.
However, it is important to remember that this is sheer speculation and the real motive behind these and 6 other recent arrests of FSB officers is unconfirmed. The FSB was the agency responsible for carrying out assessments on local support for Russia within Ukraine, logistics as well as that of Ukrainian military and political strength. Putin, it seems, might have been slightly misled. Talks between the Russians and the Ukrainians are set to continue this week.
Do you think Putin underestimated his trip to Ukraine?