Associated Press: “For the second day in a row, the Kremlin raised the specter of nuclear war, announcing that its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and long-range bombers had all been put on high alert, following President Vladimir Putin’s orders over the weekend.”

“Stepping up his rhetoric, Putin denounced the U.S. and its allies as an ‘empire of lies.’”

“A large explosion struck central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, on Tuesday, directly in front of the city’s administrative building, creating a huge fireball that appeared in a video to engulf several cars driving through an area called Freedom Square,” the New York Times reports.

Washington Post: “Kharkiv remains under the control of Ukrainian government authorities, but the city is being ‘surrounded’ by Russian troops, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Tuesday.”

After a classified briefing, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Russian President Vladimir Putin is laying the groundwork for a “medieval siege” of Kyiv, Politico reports.

New York Times: “The Russian track record in the Syrian civil war, and in its own ruthless efforts to crush separatism in the Russian region of Chechnya, suggest an increasingly brutal campaign ahead.”

Axios: Ukraine war enters new, uglier phase as convoy advances on Kyiv.

“U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is growing increasingly frustrated by his military struggles in Ukraine, and may see his only option as doubling down on violence,” NBC News reports.

“As the Russian economy teeters under unprecedented global sanctions and his purportedly superior military force appears bogged down, Putin has lashed out in anger at underlings, even as he remains largely isolated from the Kremlin due in part to concerns about Covid.”

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his honorary taekwondo black belt over his country’s invasion of Ukraine, a personal rebuke heaped on top of international economic and sporting sanctions,” Reuters reports.

New satellite images from Maxar Technologies show the Russian military convoy that has reached the outskirts of Kyiv is now more than 40 miles long, CNN reports.

The Economist: “Russia’s biggest problem appears to be logistics. A Western official says that Russia has particular problems with engineering units. Ukraine has blown up many bridges, and Russia has been unable to get bridging units through congested roads. Russian tanks and other vehicles lie abandoned on the roadside, either broken-down or out of fuel, suggesting supply lines are overstretched, and support units are unable to keep up. Marooned units are prime targets for ambushes. Ukrainian forces have no shortage of arms with which to strike them—in recent days, Denmark, Luxembourg and Finland became the latest European countries to say they would supply thousands of anti-tank missiles.”

“Nor has Russia secured the skies. Western officials thought that Russian missiles would wipe out Ukraine’s air defences—a network of radars and surface-to-air missiles—in the first hours of a war. In fact, the strikes were lighter than expected, possibly to conserve low stocks of precision munitions.”

“Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have broken ranks with the Kremlin and called for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine,” CNN reports.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tweeted that “history is watching” Donald Trump’s praise of Vladimir Putin.

Said Christie: “No walking that back. History is watching.“

CNN: “Stiffer than expected Ukrainian resistance and Russia’s own logistical missteps have bogged down Russia’s advance, sparking a fragile optimism. The US has also continued sharing downgraded intelligence with the Ukrainians, including about Russian military moves, in an attempt to help Ukraine on the battlefield.”

“But intelligence and defense officials closely tracking the Russian campaign say that Putin still holds a number of moves in reserve that could devastate the Ukrainian resistance.”