CIA boss: The Kremlin tyrant is "angry and frustrated" Historian: "He bet his presidency."

At the beginning of his major attack on Ukraine, Russia's dictator Vladimir Putin (69) made it clear two weeks ago what he was about: conquering the entire country.

He denied Ukraine's right to exist and painted his invasion as a "special operation" to supposedly liberate the country from an alleged neo-Nazi government.

What followed was anything but a precisely planned operation, as Putin would like his people to believe. Instead, his troops bombed residential buildings, schools and hospitals and fired on fleeing civilians.

According to US estimates, almost all the 150,000 Russian soldiers who moved in before the war are now in Ukraine. This means that the Kremlin chief has sent all the military units he can muster at short notice to Ukraine because of the unexpected Ukrainian resistance.

Now even Syrians are being enlisted for the war to gain further fighting strength. In addition, Putin's Chechen governor Ramzan Kadyrov (45) sent thousands of elite soldiers to Kyiv via Belarus.

Former Mossad boss Efraim Halevy (87) recently attested to Putin's "growing desperation."

In addition, Putin has isolated his country internationally. NATO and the EU were welded together by his war - the opposite of what the Kremlin boss wanted to achieve.

But the harsh sanctions imposed by the West are also hitting Russia hard. Although gas and oil exports continue to pour money into the war chest, renowned economic experts expect Russia to go bankrupt shortly.

The Kremlin is moving away from maximum targets

Putin is putting his entire country at risk with the war! As a result, many are now asking this question: does the Kremlin tyrant still have a way out?

One thing is clear: Putin cannot stop the war now without presenting gains. Given the economic damage, the loss of face in your own country would be too significant.

It is fitting that Russia has meanwhile moved away from its maximum goals – and now seems to be concentrating on goals that may be achievable. Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov (54) only demanded:

The fact that Ukraine remains "neutral" means that it should state in its constitution that it will not join any alliances with other states (NATO, EU). It accepts the annexed peninsula of Crimea as Russian and the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as an independent.

That Ukraine will be "demilitarized," i.e., disarmed. A flexible term.

CIA boss predicts 'ugly' weeks

Meanwhile, CIA chief William Burns (65) predicted gloomy weeks of the war on Tuesday. "I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now," Burns said in the US Congress.

The US foreign intelligence chief was convinced: "He will probably go one step further and try to crush the Ukrainian military without regard to civilian casualties." So, the next few weeks would probably be "ugly" - and the fighting in the cities will be more intense than ever.

A sustainable solution for Putin is not in sight, said the CIA chief. It is not foreseeable how the Kremlin boss in Ukraine could maintain a puppet regime or a pro-Russian leadership, which he is trying to install against the massive resistance of the Ukrainian population.

Because the fact is: even in areas where most Russian-speaking Ukrainians live, people are taking to the streets against the occupiers.

For Putin, the attack on Ukraine is a matter of deep personal conviction, Burns said. "An explosive mixture of grief and ambition has been smoldering within him for many years."

'Putin bet his presidency.'

Cold War historian Michael Kimmage told NBC: "The Kremlin is fully committed to this invasion -- a major war not seen in Russia since 1945."

The expert continued: "Putin has bet his presidency on this endeavor, so he will either get big concessions from the Ukrainians or just keep fighting."

Referring to Russia's war, former Secretary of Ukraine's Defense Council, Oleksandr Danylyuk, 46, said: "If they wanted to take over Ukraine, they now know they couldn't do it. They cannot occupy this country, so now they will try to destroy it."

Security researcher Dmitry Gorenburg of the military think tank CNA said: "I think it is tough for Putin to leave empty-handed; otherwise, he would admit defeat."

He fears more "indiscriminate violence" will make Ukrainians decide the losses aren't worth it.