I'm not sure if Putin/Russia can sustain option 1 for much longer, given the huge economical, military and political drain, especially in combination with effec

I'm not sure if Putin/Russia can sustain option 1 for much longer, given the huge economical, military and political drain, especially in combination with effective sanctions. So keeping it up might destabilize Putin, without further escalating the conflict. Seems like the sanest of bad options to me.