In my impression, the real goal of the war is to serve as an excuse for the various economic sanctions, the cutting of business and political relations between key national blocs - basically Cold War 2.0.

So now I'm looking at the finer details, to try and figure out how the theatrical spin will go. Including how the conflict will be declared "over". At this point, the options I see are:

1. Putin getting "deposed", with a successor, perhaps Medvedev but I'm not too sold on him, taking the reins while continuing to cool relations with the west.

2. Zelensky going off his meds, declaring total war while antagonizing the west for not helping him enough, so that when Russia effectively takes possession of the country, it's seen as a necessary evil.

3. Zelensky getting "killed" as a martyr, with Putin becoming the official evil bogeyman of the west (sorry, Pooh Bear), solidifying the new opposition of international blocs for the foreseeable future.

Mind you, I'm also noting this happens in the year of the American mid-term elections, combined with dirt on Biden and his Ukraine ties crawling into the limelight, and even Trump getting extra screentime again. Though again, these are mostly musings that I haven't begun to fit into a comprehensive theory.

In my impression, the real goal of the war is to serve as an excuse for the various economic sanctions, the cutting of business and political relations between key national blocs - basically Cold War 2.0.

So now I'm looking at the finer details, to try and figure out how the theatrical spin will go. Including how the conflict will be declared "over". At this point, the options I see are:

1. Putin getting "deposed", with a successor, perhaps Medvedev but I'm not too sold on him, taking the reins while continuing to cool relations with the west.

2. Zelensky going off his meds, declaring total war while antagonizing the west for not helping him enough, so that when Russia effectively takes possession of the country, it's seen as a necessary evil.

3. Zelensky getting "killed" as a martyr, with Putin becoming the official evil bogeyman of the west (sorry, Pooh Bear), solidifying the new opposition of international blocs for the foreseeable future.

Mind you, I'm also noting this happens in the year of the American mid-term elections, combined with dirt on Biden and his Ukraine ties crawling into the limelight, and even Trump getting extra screentime again. Though again, these are mostly musing that I haven't begun to fit into a comprehensive theory.