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Putin might have/ had big ideas and dreams, but he can't control what eventually happens on the battle field. His winter war / fuel starvation appears also to be failing.
How long will he continue to flog a dead horse. The dead horse being his army, an army that don't understand what they are fighting for, don't want to be there, and most of all don't want to die for Putin's dreams.
If you have an army that's not focused, and have little motivation, or reason to fight, you've lost before you've even started. Putin himself must know this, but like many have said, there is no way out for him without humiliation, not to mention the war crimes he has committed. There will never be a way out of that charge.