Opinion: Putin has to escalate the situation in order to survive

There’s no going back — if Russian President Vladimir Putin loses his war of aggression against Ukraine, it will cost him his power, perhaps more. The same is true for politicians in the government and in parliament who have linked their fates to the Kremlin chief, for better or for worse. They are panicking. Given the Ukrainians’ recent success in retaking their territory, Russia is looking at defeat, something no one in Moscow expected. That’s why Putin has now announced a partial…