03-10-2022, 06:41 PM
I think Putin convinced himself that the Ukrainians would not resist the invasion nearly as much as they have - so that he would take over a country that was mostly intact. But the Ukrainians are resisting mightily and the Russian military appears to not be particularly good. And Putin is too "proud" to back down after all his bluster about Ukraine really being part of mother Russia and has to be brought be into the fold. So, he probably feels like he can't back down and will no doubt acquiesce to the demolition of much of Ukraine if that is what it takes to "get it back".