Did anyone expect Putin to decide to fight? Everyone says no. They thought that the president was escalating the situation as much as possible in order to have more trump cards in the negotiations on security guarantees, and everything would be limited to the maximum recognition of the DNR and LNR within the administrative boundaries. [...]
Most likely, my sources say, only the narrowest circle was aware: Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, counterintelligence leadership. For example, the head of the presidential administration, Anton Vaino, whose role, unlike his more influential predecessors, is reduced to something like a personal secretary, is not even informed about such decisions, my sources say. In addition, Vaino suffers from a protracted severe covid that has been going on for several weeks.