>

The goal isn't to make peace, it's to send a message. "You are not welcome here." The Russians cannot be taught acceptance, but they can be taught fear. In the past, they only feared the US. Now they will fear Ukraine.
Putin knows he is screwed but doesn’t want to lose Crimea >

If he loses Crimea and its ports, Putin is dead meat. Losing 8 years worth of colonization will be what tips the scale internally. He will be replaced with another hardliner beholden to the Russian mafia state and business as usual will resume to the best of their abilities. >

That is what many of us don't realize -- putin will not be replaced by a peaceful democracy. We are also fighting the next few totalitarian dictators to come after him right now.  All of Russia needs to learn to keep their pathetic shit within their own borders moving forward.