The problem, of course, remains the lack of an exit strategy. The last time such an ideological war was fought, it was Nazi Germany attacking the USSR. German forces bombarded cities but that just made them harder to overwhelm (Stalingrad, anyone?). Even if Putin succeeds in replacing Zelensky with a puppet, Russian forces will still have to occupy the country because it will be impossible to rebuild the Ukrainian military. They won't be able to trust the police forces either because they're likely infested with nazi sleeper agents.
Thus Putin has frog-marched into a never-ending insurgency against what he perceives as lingering nazi elements but which, in reality, are mostly ordinary Ukrainian citizens simply resisting an oppressive invader.
If this is even remotely the case, then we're heading for a long and really ugly period in European history.
That is 100% exactly the problem, and a very scary one at that.
There is no endgame here that is good for him. He loses no matter what.
1. Even if he wins this war it will only bog the Russians down in a decades long insurgency. How long can he sustain that with Russia's sons continually being sent home in body bags?
2. He can't push further west. That leads to war with NATO. We all know how that will end.
3. He can't quit and go home. It will make him look weak and he will not allow himself to lose face.
So what does he have to lose? What choice does he have?
Let's hope the Russians take matters into their own hands.