I’m guessing Putin isn’t telling the press his thoughts about his top military staff. So this smells like someone trying to provide a little motivation make a pre-emptive strike.
Exactly.
What we have here is UK intelligence, and US deep-state IC actors leaking to their buddies in the press with a narrative that the Russian bear is nothing to be feared. So go ahead and start a war with Putin.
Rank propaganda. Or more like agitprop.