In the Kremlin, some high-ranking officials admit that the war against Ukraine has reached a dead end and there is currently no safe way out of this situation for the regime, writes Bloomberg, quoted by Focus.
"Ukraine and its allies are increasingly confident that the Russian invasion is about to end, as Kiev stabilizes the front line and stops Moscow's spring offensive“, the media writes.
As noted in the material, Ukraine's growing effectiveness in using drones, which inflict significant losses on Russian troops, is accompanied by strikes behind the front line and deep into Russian territory. This is intensifying domestic criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Along with the economic downturn and internet restrictions, this is leading to a deepening of war fatigue among ordinary Russians.
The nervous mood is also shared by many members of the Russian elite. Some senior Kremlin officials, according to sources familiar with the situation, believe that the war has reached a dead end and there is no clear path to a solution.
According to Bloomberg, Putin wants to end the war by the end of this year, but only on terms that he considers victorious.
This includes full control over Donbas, which Russian troops have failed to take for more than a decade, as well as a broader security agreement with Europe, which would effectively recognize Moscow's territorial gains.
At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Putin had set any such deadlines.
The American agency emphasizes that the drones, which Ukraine has been using in increasing numbers, have become a decisive factor in the war, helping to compensate for the shortage of personnel that has plagued Kiev since the beginning of the full-scale Russia's invasion.
At the same time, Ukraine has yet to achieve its strategic goals - to regain most of the captured territories or to come close to an acceptable peace agreement in the framework of the negotiations under the auspices of the United States, which are also currently at an impasse.
Several European diplomats told Bloomberg that they consider the mood in Russia to be gloomy, as a stalemate is observed on the front and Ukrainian drone strikes are bringing the war directly to Moscow.
Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, believes that to support its military efforts, the Kremlin will almost certainly be forced to conduct a second partial mobilization within the next 12 months.