What other options does Putin have?

The Russian army’s “special operation” planned to last a few days to allegedly “denazify” and “demilitarize” the Ukraine has turned into a trench warfare that has cost a lot of losses and has now lasted almost three months. Russia’s storming of Kyiv has failed, and now the offensive in the east is also halting, and there is still resistance even in the bombed-out coastal town of Mariupol.

No one knows how Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to get out of his self-inflicted misery – probably not even himself. But experts expect that next Monday will provide some information about the Kremlin’s intentions.

May 9th is a holiday for Russia, the date marking the victory over Nazi Germany. Also this year the Kremlin is planning a big military parade in Moscow. Observers had long assumed that Putin would use the date to announce the end of his “special operation”.