Does Putin read the news? One expert says he'd be surprised if the Russian president's media diet 'includes much of anything at all'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cracked down on the ability of ordinary Russians to access independent news, verified information, and social media posts about the war in Ukraine. Experts say that the Russian president is just as ignorant about the conflict as his own people.

Insider has learned that stories about Russian strategy failures, mounting military losses, and inner-Kremlin turmoil are not likely to make it to the desk of Putin.

Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, said that he would be very skeptical if Putin had a media diet that included a lot of anything.

Miles said that Putin's media consumption is likely due to his diminishing social circle. The Russian president has become isolated since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic.

He had a wide range of different types of advisors with different views when he started.

As such, Putin is getting a stream of information that is very filtered, and his few trusted advisors are unlikely to bring him bad news or unflattering stories out of fear of being punished.

The Russian president was anticipating a swift victory when his country invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24.

He claimed to be on a mission to stamp out neo-Nazism in the country, which was led by a Jewish president.

According to English, the idea that Ukrainians were waiting for Russia to liberate them was a lie.

He said that anyone who cared to look understood that Ukraine is an independent country with a strong sense of identity and loyalty among the majority of the population.

There is no excuse for Putin. He said that there was no excuse for Russian military intelligence leaders to make such huge mistakes.

Experts told Insider that Putin's regime is a powerful echo chamber, with his few trusted advisors too afraid to deliver difficult news or necessary reality checks.

Even though he has the internet and easier access to the international press, Putin is more isolated than a typical leader in the Soviet Union.

No matter what mistakes he made, no matter how thinly he spread his troops, no matter how badly he deployed his army, no matter what mistakes he made with his logistics.

He said that there was no excuse for that mistake.