The war in Ukraine has entered a new, more deadly and catastrophic phase, and there is no evidence that the one man who can end it, Vladimir Putin, intends to do so. After eleven months, during which Ukraine has repeatedly won decisive victories against Russian forces, regained part of its territory and its cities, and withstood the destructive bombardment targeting its infrastructure, the war appears to be deadlocked.

However, fighting continues to rage, especially for the city of Bakhmout, which is the subject of a fierce battle in Donetsk region in the east. The sight of Russian missile attacks, as vicious as they are seemingly random, on civilian targets has become commonplace. On January 14, a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, central Ukraine. Among the more than 40 dead were infants, a pregnant woman and a 15-year-old dancer.

NATO no longer hesitates to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine

Both sides would now prepare for a new series of fierce offensives around the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Russia has mobilized 300,000 new recruits to throw into the fray, and some of its weapons factories are running at full capacity.

At the same time, Ukraine’s Western arms suppliers are bolstering Kiev’s arsenal with armor and anti-aircraft systems, which until recently they were reluctant to deploy against Russia for fear of turning the conflict into an all-out East-West war.

Over the past two months, the United States has pledged billions of dollars in new weapons and equipment, including for the first time Stryker armored fighting vehicles. Other US weapons are on their way to Ukraine, such as Patriot, the most modern US air defense system, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, transports