Analysts are observing how well informed Russian President Vladimir Putin is of the real situation in Ukraine, over concerns that he could be making decisions in the war without accurate updates as information filters through the ranks, said Odessa-based Volodymyr Dubovyk, an associate professor with the Center for International Studies at Ukraine’s Mechnikov National University. “He might really think that Russians are winning, having an upper hand in Ukraine,” Dubovyk said of Putin’s view of the conflict from Moscow. But they are not winning, Dubovyk said of the Russian forces, adding that it is unclear whether there is anyone to advise Putin of the real situation on the ground. “People are afraid [that] … no one is there to tell him the news that, ‘Mr. President … we need to withdraw, we need some exit ramp,’” the academic said. “And Putin, of course, is not known [to be] someone who …