Putin is setting up excuses to protect himself in case his war in Ukraine fails, says ex-CIA officer

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is apparently searching for excuses, an ex-CIA official said.
• Putin has claimed Russian forces in Ukraine need better weapons.
• Russia's achievements in Ukraine have fallen well short of its initial aims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing excuses in case Russia's invasion of Ukraine becomes a stalemate or his troops are defeated, a former CIA officer told CNN.

In recent remarks to journalists, Putin said that Russian forces in Ukraine were fighting with inferior weapons, and that the country is urgently increasing the production of modern weapons for front-line troops.

On Tuesday, Putin specifically told Russian military bloggers and state media war correspondents that Russian forces were short on high-precision ammo and attack drones.

The remarks were an abrupt shift for Putin, who had previously boasted of the superiority of Russia's arsenal.

In an appearance on CNN Wednesday, Steven Hall, a former senior CIA official, said that Putin appeared to be deliberately attempting to lower expectations of a Russian victory in Ukraine.

"For me, the really fascinating questions is why does Vladimir Putin address this, and for me, we have to turn to history in Russia. There have been so many Russian leaders who, after a failed or stalemated war, did not survive in power afterward," Hall told the network.

"I wonder whether or not Putin's thinking about that, whether he's beginning to see: 'OK, I'm not going to win it, the best I can hope for is some kind of draw, some sort of frozen conflict.'

"'But if that happens, how will I survive politically?' And I wonder whether he's trying to prepare the Russian population for that eventuality and trying to figure out a soft landing for himself."

The Kremlin had apparently expected to seize control of Ukraine swiftly after launching its invasion in February 2022, but the conflict has become a gruelling war of attrition in territory Russia has occupied in south and east Ukraine.

Putin had until late last year reportedly believed that Russia remained capable of seizing control of most of Ukraine despite a series of setbacks, but US intelligence officials recently told Congress that he now accepts only more modest goals are possible.

It's unclear what Putin would be able to sell as a victory to Russians, but a stalemate or frozen conflict would likely be a disappointing result given the huge cost of the conflict to the country in terms of casualties and economic strength.

Former intelligence officials recently told Insider that a defeat in Ukraine, which they defined as Russian forces being expelled from the country, could prompt internal chaos in Russia, and embolden those seeking to challenge Putin's power.