Kremlin Is Purging Its Intelligence Services

Colonel General Sergei Beseda. osfsb.ru  

Daily Mail: Putin's purge of his spy chiefs as invasion stalls: 150 Russian officers accused of leaks are jailed as Kremlin gears up for a massive final offensive in Donbas 

* A mass purge of the Russian security services has seen 150 officials removed 

* Many have been arrested, with Colonel General Sergai, head of the FSB's foreign intel unit, moved to the high-security Lefortovo prison in Moscow 

* The purges come ahead of a suspected military operation in Ukraine's Donbas 

* Russia is thought to be planning to triple the numbers of Russian troops in the Donbas region in a desperate attempt to salvage a face-saving victory 

Vladimir Putin launched a mass purge of 150 security officials last night as he prepared for a final military offensive in Ukraine. 

The officers from the FSB security service – successor to the KGB – have been removed from their jobs and some have also been arrested. 

The desperate Russian president is hunting for traitors after Western intelligence agents obtained his country’s battle plans before the invasion. 

He is also looking for others to blame after his military push fell short of a quick victory.  

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Update: Why is a Russian Intelligence General in Moscow Lefortovo Prison? (Moscow Times) 

WNU Editor: Russia's hardliners have been demanding a change in the leadership of Russia's military and intelligence services after the first week of the war, but it increased exponentially when the Kremlin announced a withdrawal of military forces from the Kyiv region two weeks ago. 

I see the arrest and imprisonment of someone like Colonel General Sergei Beseda, a person that Putin personally nominated to be the head of the FSB's foreign intelligence unit, as a sign that Putin is under a lot of pressure to change his Ukraine strategy. This purge is a sign that he is listening to his critics. 

The appointment of Army General Alexander Dvornikov, the commander of Russia's Southern Military District, to now be the theater commander of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. as another ominous sign on where this war is going.