I doubt their goal is to be universally reviled, so what's their real objective? Believe it or not -- their initial goal was simply to gain respect. They actu

I doubt their goal is to be universally reviled, so what's their real objective? Believe it or not -- their initial goal was simply to gain respect. They actually thought the Ukraine invasion would be a walkthrough, and that of course Western countries would whine and moan about of a -- but ultimately they would respect Russia for its audacity and boldness, that Russia would emerge with greatly enhanced stature over its historic rivals, and a new era of Russian gravitas and self-assuredness would begin. So yes - it was all definitely quite strategic, in theory. But things didn't go as they planned of course, so now they're fighting like a cornered animal. Except now the fight isn't for "respect", and it certainly isn't about Ukraine -- but rather their own physical and political survival.