Forecast: Putin did not want conflict with NATO

Western officials say that in their opinion Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to avoid a direct military confrontation with NATO, despite increasingly hostile rhetoric towards the United Kingdom and other allies over their support for Ukraine.
This was commented on by the BBC.
Some publications claimed that one of the goals of the CIA director's recent visit to Moscow was to warn Russia of the consequences of a possible attack on one of its NATO allies, news.bg recalled. However, senior Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they did not believe Putin was seeking a direct military confrontation with the alliance.
They said there was “nothing new” in Moscow’s recent warnings, including that British troops could be targeted in the future or that weapons factories could be hit. They were consistent with Russia’s military doctrine of pressuring the West.
They said the hostile rhetoric also reflected the growing pressure Putin was under at home, as progress in Ukraine proved slow and costly and long-range Ukrainian strikes were felt deep in the Russian rear.
At the same time, officials said Russia was likely to continue its “hybrid activity” short of direct military action, using methods such as cyberattacks, sabotage and even assassinations. This is intended to weaken Western resolve and support for Ukraine, our interlocutors say.
One of them noted that NATO allies should remain calm, but that this should not turn into complacency. The British government has already made it clear that the latest Russian threats will not make it stop supporting Ukraine.
According to officials, this year has seen an “escalation” of the war: both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their long-range strike campaigns. Putin, they say, has not changed his goals, despite some signs of discontent in his own country. The shortage of gasoline in Russia is affecting support for the war, the sources noted. However, this increased political pressure on Putin, they say, does not pose a critical threat to his power.
Russia continues to advance slowly in the Donbas, but suffers heavy losses. Western officials say these losses are already outpacing the rate of recruitment in the Russian army. Sources still see no signs that Putin will resort to a new mobilization.
Western officials have acknowledged that Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are also causing tangible damage. Kiev is asking the West to provide more air defense systems. But it is missing key weapons, primarily American Patriot missiles, and Ukraine is facing a harsh winter.