Russian President Vladimir Putin has been challenged by one of his inner circle about his handling of the war in Ukraine.
According to US intelligence, the insider complained that Putin had mismanaged the war effort and accused those who executed the campaign of making "mistakes".
Meanwhile, Russian business executives are reported to have described the situation inside the Kremlin as being at "breaking point" and on the brink of serious in-fighting, the Daily Mail reports.
Putin's position is becoming increasingly shaky following a series of successful counter-offensives by the Ukrainian military, with swathes of Russian-occupied territory being taken back under Ukrainian control.
In response, Putin has announced a widely unpopular mobilisation campaign to bolster frontline forces to annex occupied territories. He has also started threatening to use nuclear weapons.
The US intelligence briefing that suggested Mr Putin is facing backlash within his inner circle was leaked to the Washington Post. The outlet did not reveal the identity of the dissenter but said the name was included in the brief that was provided to US President Joe Biden.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, categorically denied the reports that an official had confronted Putin. He acknowledged that there were disagreements occurring at the senior level but said these were merely "working arguments".
"Some think we should act differently, but this is all part of the usual working process," he said.
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Putin has achieved very few of his goals when he set out to invade Ukraine with what he described as a "special military operation" back in February. He has managed to annex four regions - which are now occupied by Russian troops.
He has ordered 300,000 men to be conscripted into the Russian military, which has been deeply unpopular across Russia. Those who have found themselves on the frontline have often been without adequate weapons, ammunition, food and water.
