The terrifying prospect of Putin escalating the war

Battered Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second most populous city, is showing no signs of falling. The column of Russian tanks outside Kiev has gone to ground. The capital itself seems to be off Moscow’s menu entirely, at least for now.

In Russia FSB chiefs are reported to be under house arrest. The economy is in freefall. There are rumours swirling of a potential coup d’etat. Nearly four weeks into Russia’s full-throated attempt to seize Ukraine, things are not going the Kremlin’s way. Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedic actor leading a country that has long been considered an also-ran, has bloodied Putin’s nose. But far from this being a time to relax, or, even worse, fall into self-congratulation, we are now entering a period of high peril. 

Two realities are converging to make this so. The first is that Vladimir Putin is not a man who is used to losing. He has always maintained that history punishes the weak.