'Demoralized' Russian Soldiers Accidentally Shot Down Their Own Aircraft, Says Spy Chief

Russian soldiers in Ukraine are so demoralized that they are "refusing to carry out orders" and ended up accidentally shooting down their own aircraft, according to a U.K spy chief.

According to Sir Jeremy Fleming, the head of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) spy listening center, it is clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "massively misjudged" the situation in Ukraine.

"We’ve seen Russian soldiers, short of weapons and morale, refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment, and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft," Fleming was quoted by Evening Standard. He was speaking at the Australian National University in Canberra on Wednesday.

While he may have been referring to the Feb. 24 incident wherein a Russian ship in the Black Sea destroyed an aircraft in “friendly fire," it is still unclear whether he was referring to planes, helicopters or drones.

"And even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime," he added.

Fleming said the Ukraine invasion has turned into Putin's "personal war" with the "cost being paid by innocent people in Ukraine and, increasingly, by ordinary Russians too." "It all adds up to the strategic miscalculation that Western leaders warned Putin it would be," he added.

The spy chief also warned that Putin has been trying to follow through on his plans and "his Plan B has been more barbarity against civilians and cities." "Far too many Ukrainians and Russians have already lost their lives in this needless war," he added.

Fleming also said Putin underplayed the economic consequences of the sanctions regime and over-estimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory.

The British officers also said that over 1,000 mercenaries from the Wagner army too have been deployed into the east of Ukraine. "These soldiers are likely to be used as cannon fodder to try to limit Russian military losses," Fleming told about Putin's "private army."

Fleming said there have been lots of cyber operations against Ukraine. "And we've certainly seen indicators, which suggest Russia's cyber actors are looking for targets in the countries that oppose their actions," he added.

This comes as reports quoting U.S. intelligence said Putin may be getting misinformation about the struggles of his troops in Ukraine. According to a newly declassified intelligence, the members of Putin’s inner circle, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, are misleading their president about the poor performance of the Russian military in Ukraine and the situation of the country’s economy.