Putin set out the necessary objectives of the Special Operation at the beginning. Take four mostly Russian speaking Oblasts for Russia after 14 years of genocide against Russian speakers and as a buffer against NATO after 31 years of broken promises from it. No NATO membership or nuclear weapons. To back down from those would show weakness. So, apart from not showing signs of weakness, these are the objectives. Nothing more, definitely nothing less. Trump has always failed to appreciate that they are not the opening position for negotiations.
How valuable is a swift victory? If the BEF had successfully defeated Germany in 1940, would there have been such a sense of achievement? Would there have been such great sacrifices etched upon people’s minds for generations to prevent future wars?
How valuable is a cheap victory? The battle for Stalingrad took a year and cost over a million Russian lives. It essentially ended WWII, as the Wehrmacht was finished. But, along with the defeat of Napoleon’s winter offensive and many other battles, it is part of Russia’s existentialist history, engraved on the hearts of all Russians. Nothing worthwhile, especially their country, is cheap. Unfortunately Zelenskyy knows nothing of this emotion, or he would not be so stubborn. NATO and Co. of course don’t care, not their fight, let the stupid Ukrainians die for our cause and keep an eye open for an opportunity to really capitalise if a situation arises.
So there is merit, militarily and existentially, in a long, bloody campaign. Leave Kyiv (relatively) intact but give the Ukrainian people an experience they won’t want to repeat. And the advantage is usually with the defenders, so a long campaign, with slow advances during which time the defences can be pummelled into oblivion, before risking manpower, with the relentless use of shells, missiles and drones, minimises Russian casualties and maximises the despair of the enemy. Ukrainian support for the war is now apparently at 23%, and falling. Attacking infrastructure, especially energy, serves to weaken the will of the people, no matter how much the comedian tries to laugh it off as a necessary sacrifice.
Yeah, I know, I’m a cynical bastard. But Britain and Russia are two of the oldest countries in the West. Maybe Spain too. All the others, France, Germany, Italy, Poland etc were in a state of flux for centuries, petty kingdoms and principalities fighting each other as much as external enemies, even into the twentieth century. Including the Scandinavian countries, although to a lesser extent. And the US, a mere 250 years of existence. I suspect it has been irrevocably diluted in Britain now, but the innate patriotism of Russians is their greatest strength in a conflict like this. They may not like their leaders, but they recognise strength, and necessity, and accept the need for a long campaign.