That is my fear. Russia is too deeply invested now to back down without shame. It enjoys clear air superiority and if conventional means fail then it will resort to even more brutal means. Ukraine needs to make political and geographic concessions before both sides dig even deeper the messy hole they are in right now.
At the end of the day the Ukrainian political establishment completely miscalculated the level of support they would get from NATO. Why is a question we will find the answers to in the coming years but they have to swallow the bitter pill now and accept that the Russian army will only become more and more brutal. Take Finland as an example. The Finns put up fierce resistance during the winter war and even though they eventually ceeded Ingria and Karelia to the Soviets, they were still able to come out of the conflict with their heads held high. If Ukraine has to make concessions to resolve this fast and save Ukrainian lives and reduce the economic rebuilding cost of the country, then so be it. They can still end this conflict on a relatively good note right now.
Ukraine authorities issue country-wide air raid warning - Reuters
