The attacks are in fact a return to the early months of conflict, when Moscow hoped 'shock and awe' tactics would force the Kyiv government to surrender. On the battlefield, Ukraine has made rapid advances against collapsing Russian forces, pushing Moscow into a defensive phase, backed up by hints about using nuclear weapons.
Putin's failure to define 'victory' or the possible use of nuclear arms to achieve it must be alarming for the elite around him.
Putin's focus on an imagined existential war with the West may be expressed in further acts similar to the Nord Stream sabotage.
General Sergey Surovikin's appointment as Russian commander of the Ukraine campaign is unlikely to alter basic strategy.
Moscow appears unable to foresee the consequences of its actions: missile strikes will result in new Western arms to counter them.
