> No he has to occupy the country and crush the opposition. In a country the size of Ukraine, controlling cities isn't easy, the risk of transforming the confl

> No he has to occupy the country and crush the opposition. In a country the size of Ukraine, controlling cities isn't easy, the risk of transforming the conflict into a guerrilla is too dangerous. Tanks would have to level down entire cities block by block to get full control, and that would likely result in a bloodshed with lots of casualties also among Russians. As much as Putin acts like a dictator, he still need some kind of support from his own people and pro-Russia Ukrainians.