The week Vladimir Putin lost control

However, he is not down and out yet. Most analysts agree that he can still turn things around on the battlefield by returning to tried and tested Russian tactics of inflicting maximum destruction.

Civilian targets have come under heavy artillery bombardment in recent days, and there are fears Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities could face the same fate as Grozny and parts of Aleppo, which were razed to the ground by Russian forces.

A 40-mile Russian convoy appears to be stalled outside Kyiv, but the reasons are not clear. Amid speculation it could have run out of food or fuel, there were also fears it could be waiting for orders to mount a siege of the city.

There are growing calls from the West for Putin to be overthrown. One prominent US senator even called for him to be assassinated.

However, it is far from clear whether anyone in Russia is prepared to challenge his rule.

Public protests have continued despite threats of arrest, but not in the numbers that could threaten Putin’s rule, and there is no sign of an internal challenge from within the regime.

Seasoned Russia observers agree that his fate is now inextricably entwined with that of Ukraine.

If Russia does not prevail in the war, or Putin does not find some formula that allows him to claim victory, he will not survive in power.

How far he is prepared to go to achieve that remains to be seen. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, warned this week that a Third World War would be “nuclear and destructive.”

Amid the continuing threatening language from Moscow, there is cause for concern.