Putin’s War Escalates Without Retreat | US News

Putin’s grip tightens as he refuses to retreat from Ukraine, even as Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian soil—comparing global conflict to the food chain and warning of economic “blowback.” Behind closed doors, he’s reportedly preparing to deploy up to 400,000 more troops without a full mobilization, while elites grow restless amid five years of stalled war goals. Fearing political collapse if he backs down, Putin insists the “special military operation” moves only forward. Meanwhile, CIA chief Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow amid rising tensions, with conflicting reports on whether he urged restraint or warned of grim battlefield realities. Western intelligence fears Russia may escalate hybrid warfare against Ukraine’s European allies, but not direct NATO confrontation—while Russia’s Defense Ministry prepares a major energy infrastructure strike. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/984ea5f5c006a3e8