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Putin’s Ukraine gamble seen as biggest threat to his rule

Russian President Vladimir Putin departs a ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee's medalists of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and members of the Russian Paralympic team in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin departs a ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee's medalists of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and members of the Russian Paralympic team in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Christmas service at the Annunciation Cathedral in Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Christmas service at the Annunciation Cathedral in Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) President Vladimir Putin speaks in his annual televised New Year's message after a ceremony during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) President Vladimir Putin speaks in his annual televised New Year's message after a ceremony during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File) Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File) In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a Ka-52 helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target at an unknown location in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a Ka-52 helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target at an unknown location in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at the Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft from World War II, at an interactive museum commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Battle for Moscow, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at the Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft from World War II, at an interactive museum commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Battle for Moscow, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, listens to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, as he visits the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the Kerch Strait on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The bridge was damaged by a truck bomb in October in an attack that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, listens to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, as he visits the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the Kerch Strait on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The bridge was damaged by a truck bomb in October in an attack that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the national anthem at a ceremony for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural and the launching of the icebreaker Yakutia, via videoconference, at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the national anthem at a ceremony for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural and the launching of the icebreaker Yakutia, via videoconference, at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a news conference following a meeting of the State Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a news conference following a meeting of the State Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Riot police detain demonstrators at a protest in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, effective immediately. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, File) Riot police detain demonstrators at a protest in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, effective immediately. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks to a soldier as he visits a military training centre of the Western Military District for mobilized reservists in the Ryazan region of Russia, on Oct. 20, 2022. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen back to camera. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kemlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks to a soldier as he visits a military training centre of the Western Military District for mobilized reservists in the Ryazan region of Russia, on Oct. 20, 2022. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen back to camera. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kemlin Pool Photo via AP, File) From left, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Kherson region; Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Zaporizhzhia region; Russian President Vladimir Putin, center; Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, pose at a ceremony to sign treaties to illegally annex Ukrainian territories at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) From left, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Kherson region; Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Zaporizhzhia region; Russian President Vladimir Putin, center; Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, pose at a ceremony to sign treaties to illegally annex Ukrainian territories at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 17, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 17, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships before the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in the Gulf of Finland, at St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships before the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in the Gulf of Finland, at St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks during an interview with American movie director Oliver Stone for a documentary in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks during an interview with American movie director Oliver Stone for a documentary in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Friday, June 3, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Friday, June 3, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, drives a motorbike decorated with a Russian national flag, with Crimean leader Sergei Aksenov, in sidecar, and Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev, behind, during the Babylon's Shadow bike show camp in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, drives a motorbike decorated with a Russian national flag, with Crimean leader Sergei Aksenov, in sidecar, and Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev, behind, during the Babylon's Shadow bike show camp in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the ice at the Night Hockey League skating rink next to the GUM Department store in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the ice at the Night Hockey League skating rink next to the GUM Department store in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims while in the Siberian region of Tuva during a vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims while in the Siberian region of Tuva during a vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with his country’s national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with his country’s national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) In this photo released on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow in the Siberian region of Tuva, on the border with Mongolia. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File) In this photo released on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow in the Siberian region of Tuva, on the border with Mongolia. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seen riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian region of Tuva, during his vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, . Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with a painting depicting Russian Czar Peter the Great in the background, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with a painting depicting Russian Czar Peter the Great in the background, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) A giant statue of Mother of the Homeland is seen atop of the memorial on Mamayev Hill in the southern city of Volgograd, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the city once known as Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide in World War II with the death toll for soldiers and civilians estimated at about 2 million. Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand for the anniversary of the battle amid the war in Ukraine, which on Feb. 24, 2023, will mark its first anniversary. (AP Photo, File) A giant statue of Mother of the Homeland is seen atop of the memorial on Mamayev Hill in the southern city of Volgograd, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the city once known as Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide in World War II with the death toll for soldiers and civilians estimated at about 2 million. Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand for the anniversary of the battle amid the war in Ukraine, which on Feb. 24, 2023, will mark its first anniversary. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin holds binoculars while watching military exercises Center-2019 at Donguz shooting range near Orenburg, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2019. Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin holds binoculars while watching military exercises Center-2019 at Donguz shooting range near Orenburg, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2019. Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers stand amid destroyed Russian armored vehicles in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv’s suburbs, two days after the Kremlin said it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv after its forces met with stiff resistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war on Feb. 24, 2022, and could end it at any time, still appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Ukrainian soldiers stand amid destroyed Russian armored vehicles in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv’s suburbs, two days after the Kremlin said it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv after its forces met with stiff resistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war on Feb. 24, 2022, and could end it at any time, still appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, Pool, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, Pool, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin departs a ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee's medalists of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and members of the Russian Paralympic team in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Christmas service at the Annunciation Cathedral in Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) President Vladimir Putin speaks in his annual televised New Year's message after a ceremony during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File) In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a Ka-52 helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target at an unknown location in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at the Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft from World War II, at an interactive museum commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Battle for Moscow, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, listens to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, as he visits the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the Kerch Strait on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The bridge was damaged by a truck bomb in October in an attack that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the national anthem at a ceremony for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural and the launching of the icebreaker Yakutia, via videoconference, at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a news conference following a meeting of the State Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Riot police detain demonstrators at a protest in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, effective immediately. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks to a soldier as he visits a military training centre of the Western Military District for mobilized reservists in the Ryazan region of Russia, on Oct. 20, 2022. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen back to camera. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kemlin Pool Photo via AP, File) From left, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Kherson region; Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Zaporizhzhia region; Russian President Vladimir Putin, center; Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, pose at a ceremony to sign treaties to illegally annex Ukrainian territories at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 17, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships before the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in the Gulf of Finland, at St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks during an interview with American movie director Oliver Stone for a documentary in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Friday, June 3, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, drives a motorbike decorated with a Russian national flag, with Crimean leader Sergei Aksenov, in sidecar, and Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev, behind, during the Babylon's Shadow bike show camp in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the ice at the Night Hockey League skating rink next to the GUM Department store in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims while in the Siberian region of Tuva during a vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with his country’s national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) In this photo released on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow in the Siberian region of Tuva, on the border with Mongolia. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seen riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian region of Tuva, during his vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, . Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with a painting depicting Russian Czar Peter the Great in the background, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) A giant statue of Mother of the Homeland is seen atop of the memorial on Mamayev Hill in the southern city of Volgograd, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the city once known as Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide in World War II with the death toll for soldiers and civilians estimated at about 2 million. Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand for the anniversary of the battle amid the war in Ukraine, which on Feb. 24, 2023, will mark its first anniversary. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin holds binoculars while watching military exercises Center-2019 at Donguz shooting range near Orenburg, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2019. Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers stand amid destroyed Russian armored vehicles in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv’s suburbs, two days after the Kremlin said it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv after its forces met with stiff resistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war on Feb. 24, 2022, and could end it at any time, still appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, Pool, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin departs a ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee's medalists of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and members of the Russian Paralympic team in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Christmas service at the Annunciation Cathedral in Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) President Vladimir Putin speaks in his annual televised New Year's message after a ceremony during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File) In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a Ka-52 helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target at an unknown location in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at the Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft from World War II, at an interactive museum commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Battle for Moscow, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, listens to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, as he visits the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the Kerch Strait on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The bridge was damaged by a truck bomb in October in an attack that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the national anthem at a ceremony for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural and the launching of the icebreaker Yakutia, via videoconference, at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a news conference following a meeting of the State Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Riot police detain demonstrators at a protest in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, effective immediately. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks to a soldier as he visits a military training centre of the Western Military District for mobilized reservists in the Ryazan region of Russia, on Oct. 20, 2022. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen back to camera. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kemlin Pool Photo via AP, File) From left, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Kherson region; Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Zaporizhzhia region; Russian President Vladimir Putin, center; Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, pose at a ceremony to sign treaties to illegally annex Ukrainian territories at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 17, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships before the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in the Gulf of Finland, at St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks during an interview with American movie director Oliver Stone for a documentary in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Friday, June 3, 2022. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, drives a motorbike decorated with a Russian national flag, with Crimean leader Sergei Aksenov, in sidecar, and Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev, behind, during the Babylon's Shadow bike show camp in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the ice at the Night Hockey League skating rink next to the GUM Department store in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims while in the Siberian region of Tuva during a vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with his country’s national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) In this photo released on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow in the Siberian region of Tuva, on the border with Mongolia. Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File) Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seen riding a horse in the mountains of the Siberian region of Tuva, during his vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, . Putin sent Russian forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with a painting depicting Russian Czar Peter the Great in the background, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) A giant statue of Mother of the Homeland is seen atop of the memorial on Mamayev Hill in the southern city of Volgograd, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the city once known as Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide in World War II with the death toll for soldiers and civilians estimated at about 2 million. Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand for the anniversary of the battle amid the war in Ukraine, which on Feb. 24, 2023, will mark its first anniversary. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin holds binoculars while watching military exercises Center-2019 at Donguz shooting range near Orenburg, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2019. Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers stand amid destroyed Russian armored vehicles in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Russian forces shelled Kyiv’s suburbs, two days after the Kremlin said it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv after its forces met with stiff resistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war on Feb. 24, 2022, and could end it at any time, still appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Putin sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, appears determined to prevail -- ruthlessly and at all costs. (AP Photo, Pool, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves the hall after an awarding ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee's medalists of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and members of the Russian Paralympic team in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022.(AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Christmas service at the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with mothers of military personnel serving in the special military operation ahead of Mother's Day at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) President Vladimir Putin speaks in a recording of his annual televised New Year's message on New Year's Eve after an awarding ceremony during his visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File) In this handout photo taken from video and released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a Ka-52 helicopter gunship of the Russian air force fires rockets at a target at an unknown location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at a Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft, at an open air interactive museum commemorating the 81st anniversary of the World War II-era parade and the Battle for Moscow, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, listens to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, left, as he visits the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, which was damaged by a truck bomb attack in October, after restoration works, not far from Kerch, Crimea, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the national anthem as he takes part in the ceremony to raise the Russian national flag on the Ural nuclear-powered icebreaker and launch of Russia's newest and largest nuclear icebreaker Yakutia, via videoconference, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a news conference following a meeting of the State Council on implementing the youth policy in current conditions, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Riot police detain demonstrators during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists in Russia, effective immediately. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks to a soldier as he visits a military training centre of the Western Military District for mobilised reservists in Ryazan Region, Russia, Oct. 20, 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is seen back to a camera. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kemlin Pool Photo via AP, File) From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, Denis Pushilin, leader of self-proclaimed of the Donetsk People's Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic pose for a photo during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships before the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in the Gulf of Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks during an interview with American movie director Oliver Stone for his Revealing Ukraine documentary in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Friday, June 3, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, drives a motorbike decorated with a Russian national flag, with the head of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, is in sidecar, and Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev, behind, during the Babylon's Shadow bike show camp near in Sevastopol, Crimea, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. rides pillion. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the ice at the Night Hockey League skating rink next to at GUM Department store in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin swims while traveling in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region (also referred to as Tuva), Russia on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, during his short vacation. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with the Russian national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) In this photo released on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow in the Siberian Tyva region (also referred to as Tuva), on the border with Mongolia, Russia. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File) Then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seen riding a horse while traveling in the mountains of the Siberian Tyva region (also referred to as Tuva), Russia, during his short vacation on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida during their meeting with with a painting depicting Russian Czar Peter the Great in the background, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) A giant statue of 'Mother of the Homeland' is seen atop of the memorial on Mamayev Hill illuminated for marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the battle of Stalingrad in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, once known as Stalingrad, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The battle of Stalingrad turned the tide of World War II and is regarded as the bloodiest battle in history, with the death toll for soldiers and civilians estimated at about 2 million. (AP Photo, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin holds binoculars while watching the military exercises Center-2019 at Donguz shooting range near Orenburg, Russia, in Sept. 20, 2019. Russian President Vladimir Putin's gamble to invade Ukraine a year ago seems to have backfired spectacularly. The war against his neighbor has exposed some of his own weaknesses and those of Russia's military, intelligence services and economy. Some see an erratic leader, rigid and outdated in his thinking, who overreached and is in denial about the difficulties — but is still determined, at any cost, to achieve victory in Europe’s bloodiest armed conflict since World War II. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) Ukrainian soldiers stand amid destroyed Russian armored vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, April 24, 2022. Putin's gamble to invade Ukraine a year ago seems to have backfired spectacularly. Some see an erratic leader, rigid and outdated in his thinking, who overreached and is in denial about the difficulties — but is still determined, at any cost, to achieve victory in Europe’s bloodiest armed conflict since World War II.  (AP Photo, Pool, File)
Putin’s Ukraine gamble seen as biggest threat to his rule