“The humiliations of Russia’s military have largely overshadowed the failures of the FSB and other intelligence agencies. But in some ways, these have been even more incomprehensible and consequential, officials said, underpinning nearly every Kremlin war decision.” WaPo (Gift Article) with a very interesting look at how Russia’s spies misread Ukraine and misled Kremlin as war loomed. (There’s also the broader issue of corruption. When you’re surrounded by a bunch of terrified yes men, you hear what you want to hear. That’s bad, especially when you also take all of the state money intended for defense and intel and redirect it towards yachts and villas.)

+ It’s not going well for Putin. That doesn’t mean he can’t make matters worse. “The rhetoric surrounding Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant – close to the front line in Ukraine – is becoming increasingly alarming, with international figures warning of the risk of a major accident.”

+ Russia’s version of Starbucks reopens with a new name and logo. (If the war errors don’t get them, the high blood sugar will.)