Since Russia’s naval aggression in the Kerch Strait – when its ships rammed, shelled, and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Nov. 25 – Kyiv has warned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate his war against the country.

American think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), has endorsed that warning in a detailed assessment that has been widely-read by American and other countries’ political and military decision-makers and has added urgency to the calls for more Western support for Ukraine.