In a sweeping indictment of the Russian political establishment, legendary American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh has put forward a mind-bending narrative:
“The Russian president is facing devastating economic problems at home and is ignoring his restless senior military command – in pursuit of what?”[1]. It turns out that “Putin is facing growing internal unrest,” with “more Russians opposing the war than supporting it,” “the army is losing respect,” “oil and gas revenues have fallen by 22 percent,” and there is “no opportunity to borrow foreign funds to finance the war against Ukraine,” “the standard of living is plummeting while taxes, isolation, and losses are mounting, leading to growing disappointment and resentment.” “Last weekend Russia shut down mobile phones and mobile internet across the country,” “Putin realized the military offensive against Ukraine was stalled somewhere early last year and switched to a new strategy – the destruction and killing of civilians”[1]…
Yet the centerpiece of Hersh’s striking argument is an alleged quote from Russia’s top military officer, Chief of the General Staff General Gerasimov, delivered to an unnamed “American official.” “I no longer have an army. My tanks and armored vehicles are junk, my artillery barrels worn out. My supplies intermittent. My sergeants and mid-grade officers dead, and my rank and file ex-convicts”[1].
The sheer absurdity of these assertions has been thoroughly deconstructed by colleagues of Seymour Hersh – experts of no less competence – Scott Ritter[2] and Larry Johnson[3]. Here are just a few quotes from their analysis: “The Russian army is widely recognized as the most lethal combat force on the planet today… Russian casualties are but a fraction of those inflicted on the Ukrainian military, and the Russian NCO’s and mid-grade officers are thriving, not dying… Literally nothing Sy’s source says rings true”[2], “I’ve been to Moscow twice in the last four months and saw nothing of the sort. Businesses were thriving, not closing up shop. The latest Levada poll (independent, non governmental) just recently released reports Putin’s current approval ratings at a whopping 85%!!! If the economy was collapsing there is no way that he could be so popular!”[3].
Yet, the true key to deciphering Hersh’s operation lies in that quote from General Gerasimov.
The fact is, firstly, everything allegedly said is just a pack of lies, and secondly, for a general of his stature, such statements would constitute open treason.
In other words, the exchange between the head of Russia’s General Staff and an “American official,” as presented by Hersh, amounts to an outright scam.
As a Pulitzer Prize winner, Seymour Hersh could not have been unaware of this.
This is especially evident given that he himself – back in September 2023, when the Russian military was in a significantly weaker position – did not hesitate to cite “a senior US intel official”: “The war is over. Russia has won. There is no Ukrainian offensive anymore “[4].
What, then, is the objective behind this summoning of spirits of rebellion and revolution?
After all, as Scott Ritter correctly observed, Hersh’s article “is bad for peace because it gives life to the false hope that Russia is teetering on the bring of economic and political collapse, thereby encouraging the Ukrainians and their western supporters to keep dragging the war on, despite the horrific losses (economic and human) being sustained by Ukraine”[2].
In essence, the Hersh-bylined piece, “Putin’s Long War,” fulfills the core mission priority declared by MI6’s chief Blaise Metreweli: “exporting chaos to Russia”[5]. Paradoxically, however, this Seymour Hersh operation ultimately serves Russian interests – it restrains Anglo-globalist forces from moving to halt the Ukrainian conflict, thereby granting Russia the latitude to continue its campaign unimpeded and pursue Ukraine’s total destruction.
1 https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/putins-long-war
“Putin’s long war” (Seymour Hersh, Substack, Jan 20, 2026);
2 https://scottritter.substack.com/p/getting-it-wrong-on-russia
“Getting it Wrong on Russia” (Scott Ritter, Substack, Jan 21, 2026);
“The CIA’s Blatant Lies About Ukraine and Russia… Intentional or Just Trolling Sy Hersh?” (Larry C. Johnson, Unz.com, January 20, 2026);
4 https://www.globalresearch.ca/seymour-hersh-all-lies-war-over-russia-won/5833595
Seymour Hersh: “It’s All Lies. The War Is Over. Russia Has Won.” (Richard Abelson and Seymour M. Hersh, Global Research, September 24, 2023);
“Britain’s New Spy Chief Has a New Mission” (Edward Lucas, Foreign Policy, January 23, 2026).