Strikes on oil refineries strengthened Putin’s resolve to continue the war, Reuters writes, citing sourc...

Strikes on oil refineries have strengthened Putin’s resolve to continue the war, Reuters writes, citing three sources close to the Kremlin. Two of them expect Putin to escalate, while one considers it “highly likely” in the coming months.

In the view of one of the sources, Putin believes that Russia will be able to capture all of Donbas. According to him, Putin did not listen to a group of advisers who proposed stopping the fighting along the front line.

Another source, who meets with Putin personally on a regular basis, says that he considers control of Donbas a matter of principle because he “needs some kind of victory.”