Russia has been forced to a radical change of plans in Ukraine. Now that they failed to take Kiev and overthrow the legally elected government, their battered forces are being reorganised and redeployed to the eastern part of Ukraine, in an attempt to take the Donbass region, which was partly occupied by Russian separatists after Russia's "annexion" (theft) of Crimea in 2014.
However, even in that supposedly Russian-friendly part of the country, the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian population are putting up a fight. It's not a given that Putin will succeed in reaching even this smaller goal.
Just as a thought experiment, let's assume that Russia is successful and manages to take Donbass, and possibly a small land strip along the coast to get their supposedly much coveted land bridge to Crimea. Then what?
Russian forces have committed horrendous war crimes in all the regions they have "liberated", and Putin's goal is very openly to erase any remnants of Ukrainian culture wherever he plants his flag. As a result, his forces ravage the land wherever they go, burning and demolishing entire cities, murdering civilians, plundering and raping, and the result is obvious: Russia is now a deeply hated country that will never be forgiven for the cruelties committed in the territory of a friendly, democratic neighboring country.
What is Putin's plan for the future? From the look of it, it's possible that he has no plan. Rumors are circulating that he is terminally ill and just wants to have a victory parade on the anniversary of the end of World War II before he dies. These are just rumors, but it would explain a lot.
An entire country is burning because of the delusions of one sick, old man. Putin has stopped trying to look respectable to the rest of the world, and he will now be remembered as a blood-thirsty dictator.
When this war is over, the international community needs to take away Russia's right to have an army, and make them pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine. Putin is no better than Hitler, and he has taken his country with him into the abyss. Russia is not going to be treated as a normal country for a very long time to come.
