Russia's inability to break through the stalemate in Ukraine has led to growing calls for an end to the conflict, but President Vladimir Putin remains unmoved.
Significant voices in the Russian establishment have publicly called for an end to the war, but Putin has shown no signs of abandoning his goal of extinguishing Ukrainian independence.
Some of Russia's most hardline hawks have even begun to question the feasibility of achieving an outright victory, with one former Ukrainian lawmaker warning that Russian propaganda has fostered a 'dangerous illusion' about the war's outcome.
Historian and former Kremlin official Aleksey Chadaev has called for a pause in the war to allow Russia to reorganize itself for the next round, while Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, has argued that Ukraine will inevitably remain an anti-Russian, pro-Western country.
Despite these calls for pragmatism, Putin has intensified missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing 22 civilians and injuring over 100 in one attack.
The escalation of attacks has led to a new development in the war, with middle-range strike drones paralyzing Russian logistics and targeting fuel trucks and military convoys.
Ukrainian officials say they targeted a base of Russian drone teams, but the United Nations and other independent agencies have not been given unimpeded access to the area to verify the claims.
