A man looks at a shell crater after a Russian attack on a residential in Kiev, Ukraine, February 28, 2022 (Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA)

UPDATE 1320 GMT

I joined BBC 5 Live’s Colin Murray early Thursday for an in-depth 25-minute analysis of the Ukraine war, including its background, the current military and political position, the situation inside Russia, and the likely developments.

If you have the combination of a lot of Russians not wanting to be in Ukraine with a Ukrainian insurgency and the sanctions that are already biting….

If Russians are struggling to get money out of banks, get enough to eat, get roofs over their houses, they may not rise up to overthrow Putin but resentment undermines the sense of national will and unity needed to propel the Ukraine operation.

Listen to Discussion from 1:36.32

UPDATE, MARCH 1:

I also spoke with Turkey’s ANews on Monday about the state of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, and the possible steps by a frustrated and angry Russian leader.

I begin with consideration of the escalating international sanctions against Russia over its attacks.

Far from detaching Ukraine from the international community, Putin has rallied the international community around Ukraine and isolated Russia.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: I joined Dublin NewsTalk’s Pat Kenny Show on Monday to analyze the latest around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the offensive hindered by Ukrainian resistance and Moscow facing international sanctions.

I discuss Vladimir Putin’s next steps, the effective response by the Ukrainian Government, and the significance of the latest economic measures by the US and Europe.

The interview is preceded with a discussion with Andriy, a Ukrainian living in Tipperary, and followed by a conversation with James Elder, the global spokesperson for UNICEF who is currently in Lviv in western Ukraine.

Listen to Discussion

Putin’s original hope was that his elite forces would quickly get inside Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, and detain or kill Ukrainian leaders such as President Zelenskiy. He could then occupy the country with little cost.

But that plan failed.

Facing Ukrainian resistance, the choice for Putin is whether he uses all the heavy weaponry — even if he “wins”, he will occupy a destroyed country, losing the PR battle and having Ukraine as a further drain on the Russian economy.