The Russian government is "concerned" following recent comments made by United States officials claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin "felt misled" by advisers and the Russian military regarding the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the neighboring Eastern European country's resistance.
"We do not just regret this. This is a source of our concern because such an utter lack of understanding is the reason why erroneous, rash decisions are made with very bad consequences," Peskov told reporters via ABC News. "It looks like neither the [U.S.] Department of State nor the Pentagon know what is really happening in the Kremlin," he added. "They simply do not understand what is going on in the Kremlin. They do not understand President Putin. They do not understand the decision-making mechanism. They do not understand our work style."
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield claimed Putin "felt misled" about his country's war efforts while addressing reporters on Wednesday (March 30).
"What I can say is, of course, we have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership," Bedinfield said via WhiteHouse.gov. "We believe that Putin is being misinformed 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."
Last month, U.S. Defense Department official told reporters that Ukraine's resistance is stiffer than expected and Russians were becoming increasingly frustrated by their lack of progress, specifically in the the capital city of Kyiv and Kharkiv, NBC News reports.
At the time of the report on February 26, Russian troops had conducted hundreds of missile launches, while Ukraine's air force also continued flying and contested the attacks, with neither holding a distinct airspace advantage, officials confirmed.
Putin announced his country would conduct military operations in Eastern Ukraine during an NBC News translation of a speech addressing the Russian population in Moscow on February 24.
The announcement appeared to serve as the final action ahead of an attack by Putin and the Russian military, which the U.S. and European allies to the neighboring Ukraine have attempted to prevent from taking place through diplomatic discussions.
A Ukraine interior minister confirmed to NBC News via text message that "cruise and ballistic missile strikes" were already underway shortly after Putin's announcement.
NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin said explosions could be heard from her live shot in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, at 6:00 a.m. local time.
More than 1,000 protesters were reportedly arrested during anti-war protests throughout Russia amid President Putin's announcement to conduct military operations and ensuing attack on Ukraine, BNO News reported.