Putin is 'a man in a cage that he built himself,' British defense secretary says

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not the force he used to be.

Wallace described Putin as a man in a cage he built himself, alluding to the many ways in which Russia has been isolated since launching an unprovoked war against Ukraine. It is estimated that the war will shrink the Russian economy by 10%.

Wallace said that Russia is a lesser country than a greater country because of him breaking international law by invading. The reputation of the great army of Russia has been destroyed.

Wallace went on to say that Putin has to live with the consequences of what he has done to Ukraine and the Russian military, which has suffered staggering losses in the war thus far.

According to the latest NATO estimates, Russia has lost between 7,000 and 15,000 soldiers.

The countries didn't reveal the types of armored vehicles on Thursday, but the step ramps up the support they are providing to Ukraine while stopping short of tanks or fighter jets. Wallace said that the Ukrainian cities have been shattered by Russian shelling.

—Sky News (@SkyNews) March 31, 2022

President Joe Biden said that Putin seems to be isolated.

Biden said there was some indication that he had fired or put under house arrest some of his advisers. He doesn't want to put too much stock in that this time because we don't have that much hard evidence.

A US official told reporters on Wednesday that Putin's advisors are too scared to give him accurate intel on how badly Russia's war in Ukraine is going.

The official said that Putin is being misled by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisors are too afraid to tell him the truth.

NATO was skeptical about Russia's announcement that it would reduce military activity.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference that Russian units are not withdrawing but redeploying.

The NATO chief said that Russia was maintaining pressure on Kyiv and that they could expect more offensive actions.