this war of attrition is an extreme burden for both sides. but at this point the Russians have a clear advantage and are gaining ground. Putin will expand the catalog with every rejection of his proposals, which means that the costs for the other side will continue to rise. At this point he would have achieved his minimum goals, Ukraine would not be a NATO member, he would have the resource-rich regions of Luhansk and Donbass under control, a neutral buffer between the NATO states and Russia in this region and, above all, he would have finally secured Crimea as an important naval base under his control.