Maybe. I think Putin’s main concern with Ukraine was preventing them from selling natural gas from the Donbas region to Western Europe and undercutting his main source of revenue, and he’s achieved that even if he didn’t successfully overrun the whole country.
That’s almost certainly part of why, but he most definitely wasn’t expecting to sink this much money, time, and personnel into the conquest. Continuing to do so is definitely not something a capable leader would do.
Mmm, I’d say Ukraine makes that not the case. The capable part, not the evil part.
Maybe. I think Putin’s main concern with Ukraine was preventing them from selling natural gas from the Donbas region to Western Europe and undercutting his main source of revenue, and he’s achieved that even if he didn’t successfully overrun the whole country.
That’s almost certainly part of why, but he most definitely wasn’t expecting to sink this much money, time, and personnel into the conquest. Continuing to do so is definitely not something a capable leader would do.