They aren't winning either. After weeks of "counteroffensive"[1], the situation on the ground has hardly changed. Even the Institute for the Study of War (which

They aren't winning either. After weeks of "counteroffensive"[1], the situation on the ground has hardly changed. Even the Institute for the Study of War (which seems to be one of the few sources for unadulterated Western reporting) had to give a little pep talk the other day about "interdiction" in the face of a lack of results. Considering there has been no negotiations, I don't see how Russia's position can be resolutely that they are going to keep all the land they've occupied. Consider the fact that in 2008, Russia overran Georgia in a matter of days. Today Georgia is a sovereign and independent state with no Russian troops present (discounting Abkhazia which was previously occupied and complicated). Russia must want something other than simply conquering its neighbors? [1] This operation cannot be considered a counteroffensive because the Russians had been conducting a defense for months. However, Ukraine conducting an offensive is quite bad for PR because it makes them sound like the aggressor, which obviously is not the case.