Putin increasingly concerned about Russian economy and believes key war goals have been achieved, Reuters sources say — Meduza

Russian President Vladimir Putin “believes that the main war goals have already been achieved,” Reuters reported Thursday, citing a source close to Kremlin thinking. These objectives would notably include securing a land corridor linking Russia to Crimea and weakening Ukraine’s military capabilities.

The agency also wrote that Putin is “increasingly concerned about wartime distortions of the Russian economy,” citing five informed sources.

At a Dec. 16 meeting with business leaders, Putin reportedly became frustrated and berated economic officials. A source said he was told in a briefing after the meeting that Putin was “visibly unhappy” after learning that high credit costs had led to reductions in private investment, according to Reuters.