Kremlin officials are reportedly denouncing President Vladimir Putin’s “clusterf**k” invasion. They are also warning that Putin could lash out in anger due to Ukraine’s unexpected and fierce resistance.

Allegedly the officials fear Putin might use small nuclear weapons. Russian journalist Farida Rustamova, “who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing the country as the Kremlin launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, has claimed that officials in Moscow never believed that Putin would go to war” reports Daily Mail.

When asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the crisis, one source told Rustamova “They’re carefully enunciating the word clusterf**k. No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.”

The death count varies drastically depending on the source. Kyiv estimates that 12,000 Russians have now died fighting while Russia has referenced the death of around 500 soldiers.

A cold snap in Eastern Europe is expected to turn Russian troops who are stranded “in the 40-mile long convoy of tanks and armored vehicles stalled on the outskirts of Kyiv could face freezing to death in their vehicles this week.”

A senior defense expert said a tank “is just a fridge at night fi you are not running the engine” which is something the soldiers cannot do with the fuel scarcity they face. The defense expert for Baltic Security Foundation Glen Grant says the result may be soldiers being forced to give up and surrender in order to avoid freezing to death.

Daily Mail reports that captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan – with conditions set to get worse in the coming days. Ukraine’s commanders have claimed that Putin’s invasion has ‘slowed significantly’ in recent days, with American intelligence saying he has now committed all of the forces he built up along the border to the fight.

Kyiv’s military has said defensive operations continue in the north, east and south of Ukraine, with all major cities other than Kherson in Ukrainian hands. Russian troops are ‘demoralized and increasingly tend to looting and violations of international humanitarian law’, commanders added.