Intel chief: Putin likely to ‘escalate’ in Ukraine, thinks ‘he cannot afford to lose’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to be deterred by his army’s setbacks so far in the invasion of Ukraine and is likely to “escalate” the conflict, the top-ranking US intelligence official told a House panel on Tuesday.​

So far, the Russian attack has been blunted by logistical and equipment issues in addition to fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces. Most notably, a 40-mile-long Russian convoy has remained stalled northwest of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for several days.