From a New York Times essay by Dara Massicot headlined “Why Vladimir Putin Is Likely be Be Disappointed”:

Against a turning tide, Vladimir Putin is resorting to desperate measures.

First, there was the mobilization order of 300,000 Russian citizens. Then came the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions and the appointment of a new commander, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, to lead the war effort. Last week, in retaliation for an attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge, Russia’s main route to Crimea, the Kremlin launched over 100 long-range missiles into Ukraine, killing more than three dozen civilians and striking 30 percent of Ukrainian energy facilities.