Putin's military failures force bitter Russian reckoning

Driving the news: "He has no sustainable political end game in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from the Ukrainians," CIA Director Bill Burns testified to a House committee Tuesday.

• Even if Russia eventually captures Kyiv, the U.S. intelligence community does not see a way that a pro-Russian puppet regime can stay in power given the Ukrainian people's absolute refusal to capitulate.
• The U.S. estimates that between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian troops have already been killed, "far in excess" of what Putin anticipated or has admitted, Burns said.
• Putin was ready for sanctions, but not the speed and unity with which the Western world brought the hammer down — especially private companies like McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola, which all halted Russian sales Tuesday.

Reality check: Despite the setbacks, Putin is "unlikely to be deterred," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified.

• The people who will suffer most are Ukrainian civilians, who are already beginning to see the vicious tactics Putin adopted to achieve his military aims in Syria and Chechnya.
• The upside is that what Putin "might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time, given the significant costs he is incurring," Haines predicted.